Here and Then
by claire sorrentino
Summary: Time Travel: After a bad spell, Ginny finds herself in a weird mix between the past and the present. Can she find a way to prevent You-Know-Who from repeating history? Can she somehow manage to outwit the Marauders? Ginny/Sirius
1. The White Bridge

**Author's Note:** There has been some confusion at the end of this chapter, so I'll just clarify a few things here. First, this is not your ordinary time travel fic. Time is, more or less, collapsed upon itself. As a result, any inconsistencies are ironed out. For example, you'll find later that Draco is a snotty 11-year old and his father is a snotty 16-17 year old who never married. But when time collapsed, it just made them brothers, filling in 'fake' memories for them to accept their new reality. So there is no future to CHANGE because everything is already so altered that this is the new reality.

Hope that clears up the confusion.

Also, this is rated M now for future chapters. So, without further ado, I present:

**Here and Then**

**Prolong: The White Bridge**

Walden MacNair was not a pureblood, but his parents pretended he was. His mother was Lucy McConner, a good, pureblood witch from Scotland. She'd married a Scottish farmer, turning her back on the wizarding world after the death of her mum. Walden had been born nine months later. His father was a tall muggle with a dark tan and a deep, rolling laugh. He'd taught his son how to listen to the earth. To feel the imperfections in chemical laden soil. He'd taught his son how to heal the earth by walking the land. It had been his father who tattooed red and gold runes to Walden's chest when he was six. It had been his father who showed him the White Bridge.

But when Walden had been eight, before his da shared the secrets of his kind with his son, there had been a sickness. His da fell sick and died. His mum, grief stricken, had moved back to England. She'd reunited with a childhood friend: Harold Hope. She'd remarried, and Hope – a pureblood wizard – agreed to claim the young Walden as his own flesh and blood. So when Walden went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he wasn't shunned by his fellow Slytherians as a mudblood. He was welcomed with open, backstabbing hands.

And the lessons of his father faded from memory. Until he couldn't hear the whisper of the earth, moaning in agony while he ruthlessly blasted a tree into splinters. And he forgot the White Bridge. The only thing he kept was his da's name: MacNair. He never told the others where he gotten it.

Countless years later, he found himself back at Hogwarts in the fight of the century. Good versus evil. The powerful versus the weak. The Dark Lord versus Harry Potter. They were winning. And then, inexplicably, they had lost. The Dark Lord fell, his power broken. Harry Potter sagged in relief, falling into the arms of his loved ones. The Death Eaters started to scatter, tossing curses everywhere in their haste to escape.

One hit MacNair. He fell to the ground, heart hammering in his ears. His blood spilled from a widening gash across his stomach. As his blood touched the earth, it started to hum around him. He heard words spilling from his mouth, words his da had taught him way back in his childhood. _We all regret something, Walden_, his da had said. _But a druid doesn't have the luxury of wishing for second chances for ourselves. It's the good, clean earth we owe our allegiance to._

Well, Walden could feel the earth now. And what he felt wasn't good. It wasn't over. They hadn't lost. Somehow, in his last moments, the Dark Lord had managed to attach himself to spirit of the Earth. It was old magic. Dark Druidry akin to that practiced by the thirteen Dark Druids that lingered in the gap between time. Walden felt the Dark Lord's power swelling. He felt the earth going black, dying.

And he chanted faster, feeling his blood spurt quicker into the soil. As the haze of death started to cloud his eyes, he saw the White Bridge. The bridge between here and then. He whispered the last words in Gaelic, thankful that he'd taken the time to study for his last ancient runes test. But as the White Bridge started to spin, Walden remembered something horrible. He'd failed that test.

And now he had no idea what he'd manipulated Time into doing. If his da were still alive, he'd be so ashamed.

**Chapter One: King's Cross Station**

"Wake up, Ginny!" Fred hollered, seizing her shoulder and giving a violent, loving shake. "If you don't get up, you'll get left behind. Then where will you be? Here with mum, while the rest of us are off at Hogwarts playing pranks on Filch and Ms. Norris!" He shook her again, and when her eyes cracked open to glare at him, she was greeted by his playful grin.

"Ain't you dead?" she croaked.

"Dead?" He looked around, eyes suddenly looking haunted. He let go of her, turning. His shoulders started to shake. "I-I-I'm . . ."

Ginny swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. It wasn't Fred, it was George, and she'd just reminded him that his twin brother had been murdered in the Battle for Hogwarts. She wiped at the tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, George –"

He wiped around, drool oozing from his mouth. "I'm a brain-eating zombie agggggggghhhh!" He lunged toward her, drool flying everyone. Ginny shrieked. He started laughing. "Seriously, Ginny, you're way too easy." He fluffed her hair. "Now hurry up and pack before mum gets up here and realizes you're not packed for school." He left the room. She stared at the door, heart hammering in her throat, drool drying on her forehead where he'd had the audacity to maul her. The door opened again, and he gave her a pained look. "And for the record, I'm Fred, not George. Sheesh, and you call yourself my sister." He pranced off.

Ginny stayed put. She wiped at the drool with one hand, letting herself fall back toward bed. The door opened again. This time her mother bustled in. Molly Weasley was a plump woman with fiery red hair, kind grey eyes, and, currently, a harried look about her. "My goodness, Ginny. You're not even packed." She waved her wand, and Ginny's school things started to move into a ratty old truck by the closet. "We're going to miss the train if you and Bill don't hurry up."

"Bill?" Ginny echoed. "Isn't he with Fleur?"

"Who?" Molly asked. Then her eyes narrowed. "Are you and Bill trying to be funny?"

"Uhmm . . ."

She shook her head. "Just hurry up. It's Ron's first year and I want to see him off properly at the train station." She bustled out of the room, leaving Ginny to stare mutely at the door.

Twenty busy minutes later, Ginny was ogling Ron. Her seventeen year old brother was still taller than her. But he'd always been a tall, gangly child. He had smudges of dirt on his nose and was holding his old rat, Scabbers. The same Scabbers that was really Peter Pettigrew who had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort so many years ago. His facial hair was gone, and he'd lost his adult teeth in favor of his slightly large, baby teeth. Although his nose was still rather long and his feet rather big. She confirmed with her Mum and Dad that Ron was only eleven. And that she was still sixteen, but just barely. Which made her _older_ that Percy, who was fifteen, and Fred and George who were fourteen. Which made her _older_ than four of her older brothers.

Charlie was also sixteen, but was apparently exactly nine months older than her. Bill was seventeen, and supposedly this was his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was silent, fingering his dragon fang earring absently. She'd confirmed Mum and Dad's story with Fred and George and Percy and Charlie already, so she figured there wasn't much point in confirming it with Bill as well.

They arrived at King's Cross Station, pushing several trolleys in front of them. Fred and George blasted through the barrier, laughing about their plans for the year. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny spotted an unruly, dark haired young man pushing a trolley with a large snow white owl hooting indignantly in its cage. _Harry_.

She exhaled slowly. "Gotta pee," she muttered to Charlie. "Watch my stuff, kay?"

"Gross," he muttered, taking the handle. "Just make it quick, okay? I don't want to miss the train." He looked away.

Ginny grimaced. He was almost exactly the same height as her, and several of his more noticeable burn scars were . . . gone. And he'd lost a couple of other scars too. She decided not to push it. Maybe Harry would know what was going on. She hurried across the platform, catching his sleeve.

He turned. "What?" He sounded cross, as if her presence were an unwanted distraction.

"Tell me you recognize me," she said.

He bit his bottom lip, tilting his head to the side. "Jennifer?" he offered, slapping a charming smile on his face.

Her face fell. "Ginny."

His grin – if anything – became more charming. "Of course I recognize you Ginny. How could I forget a cute little nose like that." He tapped her nose with one long finger, and she blushed. "You're awfully cute when you blush."

She bit her lip. "Ha –" Her eyes met his and she froze. It wasn't Harry. Oh he had the same untamed black hair. And he was wearing wire-rimmed glasses. But his eyes were a starling blue. Like looking into the blue sky just before night descended. And now that she was looking, she couldn't believe she'd even imagined this was Harry because he was so different. His body was lean and athletic, with well-toned muscles showing through his white dress shirt.

"Ginny?" he asked.

"N-nothing," she stammered. "I have to go." She turned and hurried away.

"Smooth," she heard one of the man's friends say. "I think she realized you forgot her." Then she was back with her family. Charlie rolled his eyes at her. "I thought you were going to be forever in the loo."

"They were out of paper towel," Ginny said quickly. "I had to –"

"Use toilet paper?" Charlie suggested. "That's gross, Ginny. You should have let them drip dry."

"Well –"

He took off through the barrier, pushing his cart in front of him. Ginny sighed heavily. She was just about to follow when she heard a soft, almost hesitant voice. "Excuse me, ma'am."

She turned, just about to tell whoever it was that she was a sixteen year old woman, not a ma'am. But what she saw shut her up instantly. The boy was wearing round glasses held together with tape. He had untamed black hair and brilliant green eyes. He was speaking to her mother, not her, which was just as well because it was all she could do to stop herself from staring open-mouthed at him.

"Hello dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too." She pointed at Ron.

"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is – the thing is, I don't know how –"

"How to get on to the platform?" Mrs. Weasley asked kindly. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platform nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on now before Ron."

"Err . . .okay," Harry said. He wheeled his cart in front of him and started for the barrier. Picking up speed, he disappeared into the wall. Ginny gaped after him.

"You're next, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. And as her youngest son started forward, she looked at Ginny. "My goodness, dear," she said. "You're not awake yet are you?"

"No mum, I'm not," Ginny said, eyes still too wide. "I think I just had a bad dream and it's sticking."

"About what dear?"

"Voldemort," she said, nearly stunned at the events happening around her.

"Who's Voldemort?" her mother asked, frowning. "Not a new boyfriend I hope." Her face looked like she was getting ready to go on a triad, but not because she recognized the Dark Lord's name. Instead, it would be simply because she thought Ginny had too many 'interests' at school.

Ginny opened and closed her mouth. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry," she said finally. She caught her cart and hurried through the barrier. This was just getting weirder by the second.


	2. The Hogwarts Express

**Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Express**

The brilliant red of the Hogwarts Express gleamed. Ginny hardly paid it any attention. She'd gotten her trunk onto the train, and was starting to look for familiar faces. She was finding them too. Hermione Granger was already wearing her school robes, her bushy brown hair billowing around her head, her front teeth just a bit too large. She was prattling about how she'd never known she was a witch until she got the letter inviting her to Hogwarts, and how she'd read everything she could about the school. And then there was Neville Longbottom, weeping about how he'd lost his pet toad, Trevor, already.

She saw Oliver Wood, the Captain of the Quidditch team back when she'd first come to Hogwarts. He'd won the Quidditch Cup in his last year – back when she was thirteen and didn't realize the appeal of men. He was grinning at Katie Bell, making the blond chaser blush about something he said. There was a new, roguish charm to him. She tried to ignore the way he made her blood quicken.

She boarded the train, nearly knocking a thin, pale faced boy down by accident.

"Watch it," he snapped, pale blue eyes narrowing.

Ginny took a step back. "Malfoy, you're pint-sized," she squeaked.

He scowled something fierce, but a cool voice behind her caught Ginny's attention. "Leave Draco alone, Weasely."

She spun, coming face to face with a tall, arrogant looking young man. He shared Draco's pointed, pale face and pale blue eyes. But his blond hair was long, and looked like it was fresh from a muggle hair-care commercial.

"I don't need your help, Lucious," Draco snapped. He strolled off, Crabble and Goyle falling in behind him like troll-bodyguards.

"Lucious . . . Malfoy?" Ginny asked, eyeing the young man before her. He only looked about her age, and his hairline hadn't started receding yet.

He brushed his fingers through his hair. "In the flesh."

"Yuck," she said. She turned and hurried away from him. She ducked into a train car, spotting an empty seat. "Do you mind if I sit . . ." her voice trailed off as she recognized the Harry-lookalike from the train station. "Nevermind." She ducked back out, heart hammering. Now what?

She picked another car and peeked in. She saw Snape's hook nose, but instead of the rest of him she had grown to expect she saw a pale, dirty haired young man. It was almost too much for her. She yanked open the door and sat down across from him. "Severus Snape," she said, tone accusing.

He looked up at her, black eyes meeting hers. "Miss Weasley?" he asked, the usual disdain replaced by confusion. "Did I do something?"

She sighed. "No. I guess not. Can I sit in here?"

He shrugged. "It's not my train car."

She leaned against the window, watching the city give way to the country. "So . . . back to Hogwarts."

"Yes," Snape said simply.

The silence stretched out, making Ginny uncomfortable. "So . . . you like potions?" she inquired.

"Yes."

"What's the most complicated one you've ever brewed?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

They sat in silence for several more minutes. Then the door to the compartment opened and a red haired woman with Harry's green eyes came in. "Hello, Severus," she said. "How were your holidays?"

"Good," Snape said, a very un-Snape-like expression lingering on his face. He moved over, making room. "How about yours, Lily?"

"Lily?" Ginny asked. "As in Lily Potter?"

Snape shot to his feet. "As in Lily Evans. She doesn't even like Potter."

Lily nodded. "James is 99% douche."

"And the other 1%?" Ginny asked before she could stop herself.

"Bully."

"Oh." She stood up. "I'll just be going now." She hurried out of the compartment. At this rate she was going to have to take the train ride from the roof. Surely no one would notice her absence. She peaked into another compartment and spotted Harry and Ron eating sweets, a growing collection of chocolate frog cards beside Harry. She kept going down the hall, stealing glances at the windows.

Finally she spotted one with no familiar faces. She stepped in. "Do you mind –" she started to say.

There were three women in the car. One with beautiful blond hair, flawless peach colored skin, and baby blue eyes. One with curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. And one with raven black hair, snow white skin, and black, cruel eyes. Ginny would recognize those eyes anywhere. "Bellatrix," she said, hating the hint of fear at the back of her throat.

"Yes," the dark witch drawled. "You have something to say to me?"

"No," she said. "I'm leaving." She quickly exited the car, coming face to face with a young, dopey looking man. "Who are you?"

"Rondolphous Lestrange," he proclaimed, straightening. "Did Bella-baby say anything about me?"

"Err . . . yuck," Ginny said.

His face crumpled. "Yuck? She said yuck about me? Is this because I was watching her in the loo?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, mouth dry. She sidestepped the horrified man, hearing him mutter that he should have just stayed in hiding when he realized Bellatrix didn't have any toilet paper. She privately agreed with him, but wasn't about to say so.

She reached the last car now. And with nowhere else to go, she stepped in. "Hiya, Bill," she said, spotting her still-older brother. She sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder. "Life sucks."

"Right," Bill said. "Ginny maybe you should wait outside. I'm kinda of talking with MacNair right now."

Ginny rolled her eyes up to look at him. "Walden MacNair? The Death Eater?"

Bill nodded, then froze, picking something out in her words. "Wait, Ginny, do you know?" he asked as she hauled herself to her feet.

"Know?"

MacNair leaned forward. He didn't look much like the executioner that had tried to kill Buckbeak in her second year. "Do you know that _time_ is wrong," he said.

She rubbed her forehead. "Time is wrong?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Does anything about today seem weird to you?"

"Yeah," she said dryly.

"Tell me the most weird thing," Bill ordered. "The most different thing you can think of."

She stared at him. "I have younger brothers. Lily Potter hates James. And she wants to be called Evans. Harry is eleven. Snape isn't the potions master . . . " She paused. "And that's just the start of it."

Bill looked surprised. "Okay, somehow it didn't affect you either."

MacNair nodded. "That must be why she's older. The spell couldn't turn her back."

"It turned me back just fine," Bill said, touching his face where Greyback had mauled him.

"And me," MacNair agreed. "But maybe it works differently on girls."

"What works different on girls?" Ginny asked.

"I don't think so," Bill said. "I think that its works just the same on girls as guys. What I think is that something else stopped Ginny from being affected."

"Affected by what?" Ginny demanded.

"You're probably right," MacNair said. "Your dabbling in druidry is probably what spared you from the memory-wipe, so maybe she was –"

"Ginny did you ever practice druid magic?" Bill interrupted.

"No, what's that got to do with –"

"It's something else then," Bill said. "But since she knows, we can use her help."

"I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"You're right," MacNair said. "We'll have to tell her."

"Tell her what?" Ginny said. "Because you could just tell me already and be done with it before I die of old age."

"I agree," Bill said. He turned to Ginny. "Sit down."

Part of her wanted to object. To cross her arms and declare that she didn't need to sit. Of course that would mean she'd have to fight about it and her much-needed answers would be delayed. She sat. "Tell me."

"I got some druid training from my da, but I forgot it," MacNair said. "Then when You-Know-Who seeped into the earth, I realized that he would destroy everything. I opened the White Bridge and . . ."

Bill leaned forward. "He tampered with time, Ginny. We're in some weird blend of the past, present, and future. And this is reality."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that he can't reverse it."

"What about a _real_ druid?" Ginny asked. "Could one of them reverse it?"

"The druids are all but dead, and even if they still lived, they wouldn't tamper with time any more than we've already done," MacNair said. She noticed that he had dark brown eyes with flecks of olive green in them. "We're stuck in the present."

"Okay, so . . . we just have to . . . "

"Ginny, You-Know-Who isn't dead," Bill said. "His power was never broken by Harry Potter. The First Wizarding War hasn't happened yet. He's . . . "

"He's what?"

Bill bit his bottom lip. "He's coming back. And we have to be ready for him."

"What?"

"Think about it," MacNair said. "The reason he gained so much power so quickly was because everyone was afraid of him. If we can keep people from fearing him –"

"No," Ginny said, shaking her head. "This can't be happening. I need air."

She stood up, and spun into the hallway, bumping into a handsome boy wearing black robes, a green and silver tie, and a silver badge that proclaimed him Head Boy. He smiled at her, flashing perfect white teeth. "Dear Ginny," he said, voice smooth as velvet against her ears. "We're going to be arriving at Hogwarts soon. You'll need to change into your robes and uniform."

"S-sure," she stammered. She ducked back into the train car, sliding it shut. Her heart was pounding painfully in her ears, and all she could feel was a cold, mind-numbing buzzing.

"Back so soon?" MacNair asked.

"It's _him_. He's Head Boy. Voldemort," she whispered. "Tom Riddle. He just told me to put on my robes and my uniform." She sank down, trembling. Tom Riddle. Her _dear Tom_. And he'd called her Dear Ginny. He was the one that made her strangle chickens. Who'd left her nearly lifeless in the Chamber of Secrets. She started to cry then.

How could this be happening?

**Author's Note:** Just to clear a few things up, this fanfic will have random "surprise" crossovers from other book, TV, video game, and movie characters. For example, there is a cameo appearance by a Lord of the Rings character and by a few Supernatural (TV series) characters. You don't have to have heard about the others for it to make sense (hopefully), and when they pop up, I'll let you know.

Thanks so much for all the reviews and favs =)


	3. The Sorting

**Chapter Three: The Sorting**

It was raining when they arrived at Hogwarts. The castle was highlighted against brilliant flashes of lightning. Over the roar of the wind, Hagrid's voice could be hear hollering for the "Firs' Years" to follow him to the boats. Ginny watched Harry and Ron and Hermione and Neville climb into the same boat, then started for the carriages.

Bill had suggested they split up for now, so she headed toward the third carriage in line while Bill and MacNair headed for the first and second. None of them had a clue what they were going to do when they got to the castle.

Ginny boarded, sitting beside the Harry lookalike. "Hi James," she said, taking a stab at his name.

"Hey Ginny . . ." he said. "Done being mad at me?"

She rolled her head to look at him. "Yep."

"Good. Because I've thought about it and thought about it and I just can't think about what I did to piss you off. Because . . . I don't think we've ever even been on a date."

"That's right," she said. "I was just trying to get you confused earlier. I guess it worked. You're too easy, Potter," she said, forcing cheer into her voice. She looked away from him, doing a quick sweep of the carriage to see who else she was dealing with. There was a thin young man with light brown hair and light brown eyes. He looked tired, and there were a few scars already on his face. Remus Lupin. And on his left was a pudgy blonde boy with a narrow ratlike face. Peter Pettigrew. Which begged the question about who the hell Scabbers was. Unless there were two Pettigrews?

She rubbed her forehead with one hand, feeling the onslaught of a tension headache. Then the guy she had wedged herself beside wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his muscular side. With his free hand he ruffled her hair vigorously. "Ahh . . . look at you," he cooed. "Trying to mess with James. Did you forget he doesn't travel alone?"

She recognized his voice. Sure in the future – er, the past – it had been rougher, the edges dashed by twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. And then worn by the necessity of hiding at 12 Grimmould Place. But that didn't matter because she could still hear the same richness of it assaulting her senses. He had a voice _made_ for dark places. She'd always thought so. But age had dulled her attraction to him. She'd been a silly fourteen year old girl and he was thirty-seven. So the fantasy of his voice had never mattered. It mattered now.

Except that he was mocking her, trying to teach her a lesson. She remembered something Harry had told Ron and Hermione once, when he didn't know she was listening. James and Sirius were bullies. Brilliant and fun, but still, they picked on people. She sensed that unless she did something quick, Sirius Black would make sure to spend the rest of the year making her miserable.

So she moved _toward_ him. She rolled on top of him, so her knees were on either side of his legs and her hands were against the wall on either side of his head. "Sirius Black," she mused, leaning forward, her lips inches from his. "I'd never forget who keeps James on his leash." And she kissed him. Brushed her lips against his in a tantalizing, teasing almost kiss. The carriage lurched to a stop, and she spun off of him, opening the door and stepping into the rain-soaked night. "Later boys," she said, giving a small wave.

Her heart was pounding loud, but she heard, Sirius mutter a belated 'wait.' Of course, that just wasn't going to happen. She had a boyfriend already: Harry Potter. Of course, when he stepped off the boat in all his eleven-year-old glory, she realized that life had gotten much more complicated since yesterday. And yesterday had seemed pretty bad, what with the final battle with Voldemort looming.

And now Riddle was holding his hand toward hers, a hungry look on his face. She sidestepped him, stepping into the entrance, letting the press of wet students pull her forward.

The head table had an assortment of familiar faces and a few unfamiliar ones. Ginny recognized the no-longer-dead-Dumbledore first. He was wearing periwinkle robes, his silvery hair tucked into his belt, his half-moon glasses perched on his crooked nose. He was laughing merrily with Professor McGonagall, who was wearing emerald green robes, her black hair pulled in a severe bun that made her look crosser than usual. Sitting in Snape's usual spot was Professor Slughorn. His great mustache drooped like walrus tusks on either side of his pudgy face. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Trelawny were there too. Along with Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey. But that was the end of familiar faces. Ginny wondered which of the new faces was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and if he or she knew that the position was cursed.

"Hey Ginny," Sirius said, catching her elbow and steering her into a seat beside him. "That was a dirty little trick –"

She spotted Charlie and signaled him. He came over with Fred and George. "Something wrong?"

"Nope," she said. "I was just wondering if I could sit with you guys."

"Course," Fred said. "I can't just leave my older sister with the notorious –"

"Infamous, really," George interrupted.

"Sirius Black," Fred concluded. "Just wouldn't be right." They took Ginny to another section of the Gryffindor table. "I can't wait to see Ron's face when he realizes he doesn't have to wrestle a troll."

"You told him that?" Charlie asked.

"Yep," both twins said.

"And he believed you?"

"Yep."

Charlie shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Ginny jumped when a piece of off-white paper hit her in the side of her head. She glanced around, and made direct eye contact with Sirius Black. His eyes glittered, a handsome smile stretched across his face. A handsome, _suggestive_ grin. He was going to be trouble. He mouthed that she should open it.

She glanced at the paper and then back at him. _Never_, she whispered back. She dropped the paper into her empty goblet. Well, almost. She tucked it up her sleeve at the last possible second, but from the distance he was, it would look like she was going to let the poor letter get doused with whatever magical drink she put in it.

He frowned. James punched his arm, laughing. He was amused by her. Sirius wasn't. That didn't look like a good combination.

She picked up her fork, twirling it absently. Whatever was she going to do?

The First Years were escorted in. She listened to Professor McGonagall calling the roll. A good number of the First Years used to be a year older than her. When Harry's name was called, she expected some sort of reaction from the students, but besides Fred asking whether Harry was James's little brother, there wasn't a hint of his famousness anywhere. So much for being the Boy-Who-Lived. He was sorted into Gryffindor as was proper. He sat beside James, who gave him an encouraging smile.

And after Ron was sorted and Dumbledore summoned the feast, Ginny realized exactly how hungry she was. She was so busy eating that she didn't notice the folded note zipping toward her. It hit her hair, and then fell beside her plate.

"For crying out loud, Black," she muttered. She slit it open, without looking at him. She was going to read it and then give him a scathing look. No matter what it said. She read:

_Dear Ginny_,

_You seem to be a bit distracted today. I hope that you're not upset with me. I'll meet you tonight in the bathroom on the third floor. _

_Love,_

_Tom_

"Oh . . ." she breathed. She stood up and walked toward Bill, who was sitting several people away. She passed Sirius, who deliberately leaned back so she had to brush against him.

"Does the Head Boy know his girl stole a kiss?"

She stopped cold. "The Head Boy can kiss my ass," she snapped. "Because him and I will never, ever . . ." She shook her head, hiding the rest of her emotions. She hurried the rest of the way to Bill, not bothering to say anything else.

"What?" Bill asked.

She thrust the letter at him.

Bill read it, then swore, reaching for his wand.

"It's okay," she said, although that was a lie. "I think I've been _dating_ him or something." She kept her voice low. "It makes sense, really. I had a crush on him my first year."

"You were dating Harry last I heard," Bill said. "So that would make more sense, but this . . ." He shook his head. "Ginny, we need to figure out –"

"If I'm with him, it's over," Ginny said. "No way I'm staying with him."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, but you're going to have to be careful. We know what kind of person he is."

Before they could say anything else, Oliver Wood interrupted their conversation. "So Ginny," he said, voice casual. "I heard you might be trying out for the House Team this year."

"Sure," she said. "Who else do you think will be there?"

"Well, Potter is coming back as Chaser. And Charlie is Seeker. Fred and George are the bludgers – I mean the beaters. I'm still Keeper. So everyone's going to be the same except we need two new Chasers."

"Right . . ." Ginny murmured. "Who else do you think will tryout?"

"Not sure, but I heard Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell were thinking about it."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"Oh no one," he said. "I've just been checking around. Scouting for talent. I think the three of you would make a good addition to the team."

"The team with only two spots open?" Bill inquired.

Wood shrugged. "Who knows. I think we need more females on the team, so I'd like it if you'd show up and put in a genuine effort."

"Sure," Ginny said. "I'll be there."

He grinned and her heart did a little flip. Since when could Oliver Wood make her react like that? She was Harry's girl. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Harry. He was using his nose and a straw to blow bubbles in his pumpkin juice.

"Ginny?" Bill asked quietly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I think that I might have to break up with my boyfriend though." She stood up and walked over to Harry and Ron. Even if that meant she had to come back within the view of the Marauders.

"Hey, Ginny," Ron said. He motioned at Harry. "This is Harry Potter."

"Hullo," Harry said, offering her his hand.

Ginny shook it, a sad feeling building inside her. She'd had a crush on him for the last six years, and now, staring at him, it was just nothing. "I'm glad to see Ron's found a new friend," she said. "I was worried about him."

"Oy!" Ron yelped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she said. "Do you guys mind if I finish dinner over here? Fred and George are belching."

"You sure you want to sit here?" Remus asked.

She looked at him, and smiled. "I'll be okay, Pro – Lupin," she said.

A short while later, she was on her way to the Gryffindor common room with the others. She walked with the Marauders out of necessity. Percy had rounded up Harry, Ron, and the rest of the first years and hustled them away already. She was thinking about Riddle and her appointment with him, when suddenly she was whisked into an empty classroom.

James closed the door. Sirius leaned against the wall. Outside, Remus gave a startled yelp. Then quickly tapped on the door. "You two are going to get us all in trouble," he complained. "Just because she kissed Sirius doesn't mean anything."

"She didn't kiss him," James said. "She _stole_ a kiss from him."

Ginny looked at Sirius, who gave her a puppy dog look. Like she really had stolen something from him. His fake wounded look was cute actually. "Oh no," she said. "You're not going to make me pay for that are you?"

"Did you hear that, Remus?" James hollered through the door. "She doesn't even sound remotely repentant."

Sirius moved from the wall, strolling toward her. He looked like a predator, muscles rolling with his movement. His aura was all dangerous. In a playful way. "I think someone owes me a kiss, eh?" he said, catching her chin and tilting it up. His lips looked sensuous, ready to be kissed.

Ginny felt a bit of her worries slipping away. She could play tease better than most. She popped up on her tiptoes, stealing another quick kiss from Sirius Black. "Huh," she said, dancing out of his reach. "I guess that makes it _two_ kisses I've taken from your unsuspecting lips."

His jaw dropped. "Now hold on a second –"

"Make me," she teased. She placed her hand on the wall by the chalk board, and pressed it in just the right spot to make the passage open. She ducked through and took off running before either of the handsome young men could stop her.

She made it to Gryffindor tower just in time to slip in with the First Years. Apparently the password was _Fiddlesticks_. She hoped James and Sirius missed the memo. It would serve them right to spend the night dodging Filch. Well, if Filch was still at the school. She realized with a start that she hadn't seen him yet.

She headed up the stairs to the girls dormitory, and opened the door to her room. There were the five four-poster beds. Hers was still by the window, her truck at the foot of it. She didn't recognize any of the other girls. Oh well. She changed into her pajamas and went to sleep, wondering exactly what the next morning was going to bring.


	4. First Day of Class

**Chapter Four: First Day of Class **

In the morning, Ginny felt a pang of worry about ignoring her meeting with Tom Riddle in the girls' bathroom. But, seeing as she didn't really want to have anything to do with him, she supposed it was for the best. One of her roommates, it turned out, was Lily Evans. She hadn't recognized the girl earlier because her nerves had been shot by the day's surprises. Another girl was a more familiar face: Nymphandora Tonks. Tonks's hair was a normal butter yellow, and her nose was nothing like a pig-snout, which was probably why Ginny hadn't recognized her.

Tonks stood in front of the mirror teasing her hair was a brush so that it would stand up straight. She was chewing Droublers Extra Strength Double-Bubble Gum. Lily sat on the edge of her bed, smoothing a brush through her red hair.

"Grrr . . ." Ginny muttered, swinging her feet to the floor.

"Good morning," Lily said. "I suppose you're feeling a bit better today."

"Grr?" Ginny offered.

"I wanted to apologize for the other day on the train. I get the feeling that I somehow offended you and made you leave the car Severus and I were sitting in. He told me . . . that you had been somewhat nice to him and I wanted to thank you."

"You were nice to Snivy?" Tonks interrupted, surprise making her hair turn green. "Really? What for?"

"Because . . ." Ginny said, voice trailing off. "Because he's a pretty decent guy, I think."

"Oh, he is," Lily said. "He's rather sweet."

"Rather sweet on you, you mean," Tonks said.

Lily blushed. "Well, yes, but . . ."

Ginny grabbed a pair of sweat pants from her trunk and started to pull them on. Tonks stopped her. "You can't wear that to class, we have our uniforms."

Ginny scratched the side of her face. "Oy, I know," she lied. "Can I ask the two of you a question?"

"Sure," Lily said.

"I guess," Tonks said.

"Well, then . . . what do you think of me and Riddle?"

"Little Tommykins?" Tonks asked. "Why? You thinking about taking up his offer to be his girlfriend finally?"

Ginny made a non-committal noise. Maybe she wasn't dating the scum of the earth.

"He's rather handsome," Lily said. "And I'd understand why you would date him. He's smart, sexy, and Head Boy, but . . . he gives me the creeps."

"Me too," Tonks said.

"Good," Ginny said. "I was hoping you'd say that. He sent me a letter last night, and I was . . . well, I'm just glad I'm _not_ his girlfriend." By now she'd watched Tonks put on a pleated grey skirt, a white dress shirt, a red and gold tie, and a grey sweater vest. Apparently the dress code was a bit stricter than it was in the future-past-whenever she'd first gone to school. She dressed quickly, noticing that her skirt was a bit shorter than the other girls.

"Does your mum know what you did to your skirts?" Lily asked.

"No," Ginny said, feeling that was probably the truth. "Have they always been this short?"

"No," Tonks said. "Your legs must have grown over the summer. The boys are going to flip. Maybe even . . ." her voice trailed off.

"Remus?" Ginny guessed.

Tonks blushed.

Ginny gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Lupin'll figure out that you're the one for him eventually," she said. "Just give it time." When Tonks's face brightened, Ginny realized a _good_ side to MacNair's botched druidry. Tonks and Lupin were alive. Fred was alive. Everyone she'd thought she lost was still around. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

She followed Tonks and Lily to the Great Hall for breakfast, and then tailed them to her morning class. History of Magic. Professor Binns – in the living flesh – droned on as if he were still dead. Her brother, Charlie, was apparently in the same year as her, and he gave her a smile when she entered.

During class she took copious notes to divert her attention from Sirius Black. He'd arrived two minutes until the start of class along with James and Lupin. She hadn't realized he'd be in the same year as her. He took the seat beside her, shooting her a challenging smile, black eyes burning with mischief.

James sat behind her, and at the end of class, she realized that he'd magically braided her hair into pigtails. She looked like a twelve-year-old. Giving him a dark look, she exited the room with Lily, stopping only briefly to keep Tonks from tripping over herself. Lupin had accidently bumped into her, and left the meta-morph's brain mush.

Their next class was double Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Ginny was pleased to see that Cho was not in her class. For a few seconds she'd been afraid that her old rival was going to be stirring up trouble. Instead all she had to worry about was Sirius. He sat on her left. James was on her right. "Oh sandwiches," she muttered darkly. She was going to show up late to the next class just to avoid them getting to pick where they sat in relation to her.

Professor McGonagall heard her outburst and reprimanded her for thinking about lunch in class. She proceeded to yammer on and on about the morning lecture, which was on how to transfigure pencils into long-stemmed roses. Sirius got it right away, and offered her a blood-red rose with a wicked grin.

Ginny gave him her own wicked grin, and transfigured it into a messed up looking pencil. In her opinion it looked like a fake cock, which was really not what her intention had been. Of course, Professor McGonagall saw it in Sirius's hand and gave him a lecture on how to properly transfigure. She couldn't understand how he'd gotten the spell so wrong since he was normally pretty good. The class ended an hour later, and she fled before Sirius could try and get revenge.

At lunch she sat with Bill and MacNair. The two of them were in the same year as Riddle, and they quickly filled her in on how things were going with him. He was apparently very, very popular with the ladies, but only had eyes for Ginny. Bill informed her rather pointedly that the rumors all said she spurned him constantly. MacNair informed her that she should avoid him seeing as he was evil. Neither of them had a plan for how they were going to stop him from rising as the Dark Lord. Ginny, having overheard her fair share of secret Harry-Ron-Hermione conversations said she had a couple of ideas. Namely, to prevent him from creating Holocruxes in the first place.

"Time's already messed up though," MacNair said. "Maybe we won't have –"

"No," Ginny said. "Everything we know about his rise to power, we have to prevent. Even if it changes nothing, it'll give us an advantage." The boys agreed. Then lunch was over. She headed out with Tonks and Lily.

Their last class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Double. With the Slytherians. When Ginny entered the room she saw an array of Death Eaters: Lucious, Bellatrix, Narcissa, Rondolphous, and even the Carrows: Alecto and Amykous. Lucious was eying her short skirt appreciatively. She quickly drew her robes closer, turning away from him. She'd kept Lily and Tonks from reaching the room too quickly, and as a result, there were only a few seats scattered about. Tonks sat beside Lupin and Lily sat beside Snape, who'd apparently saved her a seat. That left Ginny with a choice. Either beside Lucious or beside Sirius. Cursing her bad luck, she sat beside the handsome Gryffindor. "This is the last time we're side-by-side," she promised him.

Sirius grinned. "Baby, I'm just getting started." He placed his hand on her bare knee under the table, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her sensitive skin. She felt the hairs on the back her neck stand up, and barely suppressed a shiver.

"Get yer hand off of Miss Weasley's knee, Black!" a rough voice barked. Charlie whipped around in his seat, glaring at Black, but everyone else looked up. A man stumped from the upstairs office, glaring down into the room with a large, swiveling blue eye. His grey hair was snarly, and his face as craggy as Ginny remembered it. The large chunk of his nose was still gone, and when he stumped down the stairs on his wooden leg, it was apparent that his other battle wounds still existed as well.

"Sorry Professor Moody," Sirius said. "I was –"

"Save yer excuses for a professor who cares," Moody griped. He pointed his wand at Peter Pettigrew in the corner. "Count off by twos."

"O-one," Pettigrew stammered.

"Two," the girl to her left said quietly. And so it went down the rows.

"Gee, perfect," Ginny muttered. "No matter what I say I get one of you lugs."

"One," Sirius said, grinning broadly.

"Two," she said, resisting the urge to grin back at him. In spite of it all, it was rather fun to match wits with a man that both of her brilliant twin brothers called "mad in a good way."

The rest of the room matched off, and Moody waved his wand, pushing their desks aside. "We're starting today learning a shielding charm. Ones will shield. Twos will attack with a basic stunning charm. If you're still having trouble with it, stop. You're in your sixth year and if you can't even stun the dark forces you might as well curl up and die right now."

A few students looked ill. Ginny supposed they couldn't stun a fly if they tried. Although, now that she thought about it, stunning a fly would be pretty impressive.

Sirius flicked his wrists, squaring off against her. "If you hit me –" he started to say.

Her spell hit him in the middle of his chest, knocking him flat on his ass. "Oh, this is going to be fun," she cooed as Moody revived him and growled something about at least _trying _to block enemy spells.

Sirius gave her a dark look. "That's twice you made me look bad in front of a professor," he said, blocking her next spell effortlessly. "In one day."

"Ooooh," she said. "Too bad you can't do anything about it." She lobbed a jet of white light at him, which he blocked, this time barely. She cast _stupefy_ again, and when he raised his hand with the wand motion for the shielding spell, she cast the spell a second time. He'd block the first and then –

Something hit her in the back, and she fell forward, black spots swarming across her eyes. She didn't remember hitting the floor, but moments later, Moody was reviving her. "What happened?" she murmured, confused.

"Constant Diligence!" he barked, and then stumped off.

Sirius was laughing at her, mirth making him more handsome. James stepped close to her. "Oops, I seem to have missed. I swear I was _aiming_ at Remus, not you."

Her mouth fell open. "Why you –"

He wagged his finger at her. "I think your partner for this exercise is Sirius. And he looks bored." Ginny whirled toward him, and Sirius stifled a pretend yawn. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Scowling, she flung a few more curses his ways, forgetting a time or two that it was only supposed to be a stunning curse. She saw realization dawn on his face when her tickling charm slipped right through his shielding spell and started distracting him with feathery touches. It took him most of the class to slip her spell, which, turned out to be rather useful because he packed one hell of a stunning charm, and if his focus had been up to snuff, she wasn't sure her shielding charm would actually hold back his fury.

When Moody called an end to class, she quickly gathered her things and left. No need to give Sirius time to gather his troops and mount a counterattack.

Back in the Gryffindor common room she started in on her homework safe within a ring of her brothers. And when the Marauders sauntered in and saw she was protected, they scowled and headed toward a table by the window. Remus started his homework, and, surprising, so did Sirius and James. Only Pettigrew didn't. That surprised Ginny. She'd been imagining Sirius and James like a more mature version of Harry and Ron – reckless and witless with Hermione stopping them from failing all of their classes. Apparently that wasn't the case. Both men seemed rather studious. She turned back to her homework, a new feeling, almost like respect, wiggling its way into her stomach.

After homework, she retreated to the girls dorms where none of the marauders could follow. She showered, changed into dark clothes, and then decided that, instead of sneaking out, she would get some sleep. She'd nearly fallen asleep when she remembered the note from Sirius from the feast.

Swinging her feet out of bed, she rummaged through her clothes until she found the note crumpled into a ball in her pants pocket. She opened it up, and read the note. It only had one line. _I always get what I want._ What was that supposed to mean? That he'd get her? Preposterous. He was a dog, and barking mad to boot. What made him think that she'd have anything to do with him? And did that mean he wanted her? Her heart skipped a beat. Or did that mean he wanted revenge? After today it was probably the latter.


	5. Only the Second Day

**Author's Note:** This chapter has our first X-over mention. The Winchesters are two hunters from a TV show called Supernatural. They hunt demons, witches, ghosts, and the like.

Also, James's vivid imagination is pretty vivid. I toned down his descriptions by a lot, but be warned that he's talking about sex and engaging in some inappropriate for young audience behavior. I think the T rating is still strong enough, but I thought I would put this here to be safe.

So, without further ado, here's the next chapter :)

**Chapter Five: Only the Second Day**

Ginny slept in, dreaming of Sirius Black and Tom Riddle and Harry Potter, who kept calling her "Lady" as if she were sixty instead of sixteen. When she woke up, Lily and Tonks were gone. She checked her watch, groaning as she realized Herbology had started ten minutes ago. She dressed quickly, and hurried outside. It was drizzling, and the flagstone path leading the greenhouses was slippery. She caught her balance before slipping at the door, and stepped in quietly.

"Shall I announce you?" Charlie muttered.

"Er. . . I'd rather you not draw attention," she said. "What are we doing today?"

"Watering the Fire Lilies," he murmured, pointing at a row of scarlet lilies. "One at a time. Pettigrew already burned his hand."

"What about everyone else?"

"He was first," Charlie said. "Professor Sprout lectured us about how to water before letting anyone try."

"Oh," Ginny said. "I guess that's good." She eyed the lilies. "So how do you water them?"

Charlie started to tell her, but James suddenly spoke up. "Professor Sprout," he said, his voice identical to hers. "Can I go next?"

Professor Sprout turned around, eyes falling on Ginny. "Certainly, if you think you're ready, Miss Weasely."

Ginny looked at James, amazed. "Well, on second thought, could James Potter go next? I'm still a bit nervous."

"You can both go," Professor Sprout said.

"Gee thanks," James said.

"Yeah, thanks," she said. She approached him, and together they walked to the watering cans.

"Remember to fill them with the right temperature of water," Professor Sprout called out. "Even a degree or two off could result in first degree burns and you could spend the rest of the day regrowing skin in the Hospital Wing."

"What temperature," Ginny asked James softly.

He shrugged, silently heating his water.

Ginny glared. "What's it going to take to get you to tell me the temperature?"

James grinned at her. "Well –"

"Forget it," she snapped, snagging his watering can and strolling toward the flowers. Either he'd done it right or she was going to have to practice some defense magic to save her hide. Of course, when she got closer to the lilies, she realized that they weren't fire lilies. They were dragon lilies. It was rather easy to confuse the two. Both had fiery petals, actual blood red fire instead of soft, fragrant petals. But if you poured any water on a dragon lily it would spit it back into your face as scolding hot lava. Unless you covered the petal and then poured the water, that is.

She put her hand over one burning blossom. The flames licked at her flesh without heat. Unlike fire lilies which would burn to the bone, dragon lilies were harmless. She poured the water over her hand, letting it trickle and run to the soil. Then, after no fire leapt to engulf her, she reached down and plucked a single burning petal from the flower. A new one started to grow in its place. And the petal in her hand dried out, becoming a rather valuable potions ingredient.

Professor Sprout was already rushing forward, examining the flowers with a more critical eye. "Goodness gracious," she breathed. "These are dragon lilies. I told them fire lilies." She turned to James and Ginny. "Good work identifying them. Take twenty points for Gryffindor for your resourcefulness. And take the rest of the class period to explain the difference between the two to the rest of the class. I have to move these into a better climate, which is something the 7th years should be doing, not the 6th years."

After the announcement, Ginny quickly told the class the differences between the two flowers. And, deeming her job done, she exited the greenhouse, avoiding Sirius.

Of course, there was no avoiding him in potions. And it wasn't even her fault. Professor Slughorn assigned her and Sirius to a cauldron near the front of the room where he could keep a proper eye on them.

"Nice work with the flowers this morning," he whispered as he crushed snake fangs. "I have to admit I would have never guessed that you knew your plants."

She shrugged. "I don't. Not really. I just got lucky."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you got lucky," he said.

"Really?"

"Of course, I'd hate for that pretty face of yours to get burned."

She blushed furiously, and muttering about needing more nettles, she headed toward the supply cupboard. It was in Slughorn's plush office, which was completely different than Snape's dreary dungeon design. Sure, the potions class was still in the dungeons because of the lack of light, but now it felt like a cozy bungalow rather than a torture chamber. She stole a thoughtful look at Snape across the dungeon. He was, unfortunately, paired with James, and as a result looked miserable. But besides the dirty hair and the hook nose, he was handsome in his own way. Nothing like Sirius of course, but there was a strength to his face, and an attractiveness to his thin mouth. Why, with some soap, he'd turn heads for a different reason.

And why shouldn't she loan him some soap? He'd always secretly been one of her favorite professors. She'd gotten him to teach her Legilmency her second year via blackmail – a picture of him sleeping. And the harder he'd gotten on her in potions the more she learned. She touched her pocket, feeling the rare dragon lily petal. Maybe he'd let her give him a makeover if she gave him the petal . . .

She turned back to the nettles, measuring out the necessary pound. A shadow fell over her. Sirius, probably. She stood, turning around, meaning to tell him off. Instead she came face to face with Lucious Malfoy, who leaned forward and kissed her full on the mouth. With tongue.

"I just want you to know that I find your pureblood status very, very attractive even if you're a Weasely," he said, breaking the kiss.

Ginny vomited on the front of his robes, and then escaped the rest of the lesson because Slughorn sent her to the Hospital Wing. Apparently he didn't want her ill for the Welcome Back party he was planning for Friday night.

Madam Pomphry harrumphed when Ginny showed up and told her to stop faking sickness and to go back to her class. Ginny returned slowly, and bumped into Tonks in the hall. "Class over?" she asked by way of a greeting.

"Yeah," Tonks said, sounding miserable. "Professor Slughorn asked me to give you your invitation to the Welcome Back party."

"Nice." She looked at it. "Why so bummed?"

"No invite again." She blew a strand of her hair out of her face. "Says I'm too much of a klutz."

"Well, that's one of the things that makes you you," Ginny said. "And his parties suck anyway." She thought for a second. "Is Lupin going?"

"No . . ."

"Who is?"

"Potter, Black, your brother Charlie, Evans, Malfoy, and a couple others." She kicked at a passing suit of armor, and it toppled over with a loud crash. Her hair melted into a grey the same shade as the wall, as if she were trying to blend in.

"Peeves!" she hollered. "I'm telling on you."

Professor Flitwick, who'd whipped around the corner, scowled. "That poltergeist. I have half a mind to Winchester him if you'll forgive the reference."

Both girls shook their heads. "Hunters," he explained. "Scare the snuff out of ghosts and poltergeists alike. Kind of bogeymen to the bogeyman kind of guys."

"Hunters?" Tonks asked.

"Never-you-mind," Flitwick said. "Just run along now."

The two girls headed away. "Thanks for the save," Tonks said. They walked in comfortable silence toward their Divination class. "So . . ." she said after a while. "I saw you and Malfoy kiss. The two of you a thing now?"

"No! That kiss made me vomit. I only wish it had been while our mouths were still connected by his grimy tongue so he could get a foul taste in his mouth like I had to endure," Ginny said.

Tonks snorted. "Yeah, well, I've never been sure about your taste in men. You seem to have had eyes only for the weird ones for a while now."

"If you mean Riddle, I can assure you that –"

"It's okay," Tonks said. "I know you were gaga for him our first year. Everyone knows it. You trailed after him, writing him poems." She sighed. "Whatever happened to that anyway?"

"Uh, I realized he was worse that the scum of the earth," Ginny said. "What about you and Remus Lupin? How long has that been going?"

"Too long," Tonks murmured. They reached the ladder to Trelawny's room. "What do you think about Sirius Black? The two of you seem to –"

"Your cousin?"

"Yeah."

"I think that if I had enough guts I'd just melt in his arms like all good girls are supposed to."

Tonks laughed. "I think it takes guts that you don't swoon. But I can tell you that you've done something to get his attention this semester. He spent the rest of potions practically glowering at Malfoy."

"Is that surprising or something?"

"Yeah, normally he spends his time tormenting Snivy."

"Snape?"

"Yeah," she said. "And he hardly even noticed today." She started up the ladder. "Just be careful, okay."

"About?"

"Sirius. He likes conquest. And if you're stupid enough to fall for him, he'll break your heart. He's done it to every girl he's got. And . . . well, I know we've never been friends exactly, but I think that somethings different this year."

Ginny started up the ladder after Tonks. "How so?"

"I think we can be friends this year," Tonks replied. She pushed open the trapdoor and the heady spell of perfume spilled out. Below her, Ginny heard the door open, and a couple of people enter. Before she could go through the trapdoor, she heard a low, catty whistle.

"Nice knickers, Weasley," Sirius said, sounding impressed.

Ginny scuttled the rest of the way up, and closed the trap door, locking it with a spell. The nerve of some devilishly handsome people! She was still thinking about him and his stupid comments five hours later as she avoided his eye in the Common Room and retreated to the girls' dorms for homework and bed.

Of course, turning in early turned out to have serious disadvantages. Around six o'clock there was a rap at the window. And when she opened it, it was Tom Riddle on a broom. He offered her what looked like a box of chocolates. "Dear Ginny," he began. She closed the window in his face and drew the curtains shut.

Completely disgusted, she ventured into the boys' dorms via a secret passageway she'd discovered during her third year. It led to an empty room that was not-so-empty. The beds were rumpled, as if someone actually lived there. She was about to pass quietly through when she saw a picture of the Marauders on one of the dressers. A quick inspection revealed which bed was Lupin's (the one that was neatly made with the corners tucked in), which was James's (the one that was haphazardly made, with black dog fur on it), and which one was Sirius's (the one that wasn't made at all and had an assortment of clothes scattered across it). She knew that the dog fur on James's bed was Sirius's, and she figured that James wouldn't be pleased. She debated sabotaging both Sirius and James's beds, but before she could, the door started opening. She ducked under Sirius's bed, peeking out.

James entered with Katie Bell. She was giggling, obviously having a good time. Ginny was pretty sure that there was a rule against snogging quite like they were. Honestly, it wasn't like they were going to actually do more than kiss, was it?

They fell onto James's bed. He pulled Katie's shirt up, kissing the tops of her breasts. She giggled like a simpering fool. Ginny wondered at that mental characterization. She'd never had a problem with Katie before . . . But before she could wonder at her new dislike, she realized that James had his hand on Katie's leg, and that it was disappearing up her skirt. Katie gave a startled jolt when he touched her.

"You're pretty naughty, Potter," she said, tugging her legs up. "I've heard about you and your . . . exploits."

"Legendary," he said, a cocky grin on his face.

She nodded. "Hot and heavy, is what I heard."

Ginny bit her bottom lip as James gave a wondrously sexy shrug. He casually started unbuttoning his shirt, untucking it from his pants. His stomach was flat, the muscles well defined. He popped the top button on his slacks, and Ginny's mouth went dry while other parts got damp. Damn. She moved forward, meaning to steal a better look.

On the bed, Katie had gotten a strange look on her face. "Do you shave your legs in bed, Potter?" she asked, holding up a patch of Sirius's fur.

James face fell for a second. "Well –"

"Well?" she asked, pulling her shirt back on. "Well . . . I have to be going." She left the room, giving him the I-can't-believe-you-shave-in-bed look.

James growled, falling back onto his bed. "Gee thanks, Padfoot," he muttered. "I get the chance to score first day of term and you muck it up by shedding."

Thank goodness for that. Ginny laid back, staring at the mattress. If James didn't leave soon, she was going to –

His breathing hitched. She rolled back into spying position. He was still on his bed, but now, his pants were open, and he was _touching_ himself. He was rubbing, moving his hand rapidly. Head thrown back, eyes closed, lips parted.

Ginny stifled a hitch in her own breathing. Was he out of his mind? She looked away, unable to watch him without feeling . . . lusty. But just hearing him breath, soft moans breaking the silence, made her ache inside. And when he moaned with release, she nearly went with him.

She was lying, sweating on the floor, her panties ruined when the door opened again.

"Jacking off alone?" Sirius asked. "What happened to Bell? Didn't want her bell rung by a Potter?" He laughed, voice rich. "Better yet, she didn't want her pot planted by a Potter."

James chucked a pillow at him. "No thanks to you sheddy bear."

"Dog," he corrected.

"Yeah, well, your bed isn't so cozy with girls either, so shove it," James said. He shoved himself into his pants. "Besides, I was having a fine time by myself. I got a good imagination after all."

"You imagine anything interesting?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe . . ."

"Do tell."

_Don't tell_, Ginny thought. She really didn't need to know what dark fantasies her ex-boyfriend's former father had while getting off.

"A certain little redhead," he said. "Her cute little hands and her hot little mouth."

"Oh yeah . . ." Sirius said.

"The little tease." He launched into a far too vivid description of him getting a blow job of all things.

Ginny clamped her hands over her mouth. There was no reason for his dirty talk to mean anything to her, except – she couldn't help imagine for a second that she was his dirty little redhead instead of Lily Evans.

"You take that quietly from her?"

"Oh no," James said. Ginny wished he'd stop talking. Instead he described his "control" of the situation and how he got his little vixen fired up, his fingers tangled in her hair as she sucked.

"You finish?"

"Right inside her. She moaned real pretty like, swallowed and kept sucking until I came again. Then pulled back. 'Tell Sirius the second was for him,' she murmured real sexy, voice rough. She wipes at the corners of her mouth, sucking on her dirty fingers. 'I'll get him in his dreams, waking or not.'"

Sirius groaned falling back on his bed. "She didn't say that."

"Sure she did," James said. Ginny could see his grin widen. "It's my fantasy, so she said whatever I wanted her to say. Besides, you can't tell me you haven't been thinking about Ginny's little mouth screwing you up."

Ginny froze, all thoughts vacating her head while the heat between her legs practically pulsed with the desire to crawl out from under the bed and give James Potter . . . what he deserved for making up wild, untrue fantasies.

Sirius's voice caught her before she moved. "Gee, even if I had been thinking it, I wasn't going into the kind of details to require a cold shower. Thanks a lot, Prongs."

"No problem," James said. "It was my pleasure considering you ruined my evening with Bell with your dumb ass fur. Do you know she thought it was hair from my legs! By this time tomorrow I'm going to have to be proving to people that my legs are properly hairy and that I don't shave."

Sirius laughed. "You shave your legs on your bed? That's rich." He rolled off his bed, walking across the floor to James's chest and starting to rifle through it.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see where Ginny is . . . If she's out of the girls dorm, I'm going to get at least one of the kisses she owes me back." He pulled out a yellow piece of parchment: the Marauders' Map.

Ginny froze, unsure what she could do to avoid detection at this late stage in the game. What the hell were they going to do when they discovered that she was under Sirius's bed? Corner her? Tease her? Notice how physically aroused she was at the moment?

She never got to find out. The door opened and Remus came in with Pettigrew. "James, Sirius . . . I know you'd rather sneak to the kitchens while we're not allowed in the halls," he said, "but I'm hungry now. Let's go."

"Sure," Sirius said. "But get this, James shaves his legs."

"Do not," James said, following them out.

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. For several seconds she lay under the bed, then, remembering that they could still check the map, she hurried from the room. She was almost all the way out when she the idea struck her to snag a strand of Sirius's hair. And while he was at the kitchen's she used that hair in a polyjuice potion. And in the common room, she informed Katie Bell rather loudly that he'd shave _his_ legs in James's bed, which is why there was so much hair. It was his and James's.

Katie looked suitably horrified. And Ginny left rather pleased. She used an enchantment removing potion before the temptation to explore Sirius's body kicked in. And, then took that cold showed Sirius had been thinking about.


	6. Slughorn's Party

**Chapter Six: Slughorn's Party**

Ginny made sure to make sure James and Sirius didn't have the leg-hair necessary to defend the allegations that they shaved their legs in James's bed. A quick enchantment was all that was necessary. She figured it would take them a while to figure out how to escape that particular charm. And she spent the rest of the week not meeting either boy's eyes. She was afraid that they would see the truth in them. Or desire. Either was undesirable.

Instead she nurtured her plan to turn Snape into a greaseless boy. Although she was pretty sure it was going to be a losing battle, she couldn't help but find Severus Snape had a certain charm as a student. He was quiet and unassuming for one. She knew now how he'd gotten so good at lurking. He wasn't the kind of guy that walked down the middle of the Great Hall. He was the one that moved from shadow to shadow, avoiding James and his gang. And just about everyone else.

Which was why, come Friday, she still hadn't actually talked to him about his upcoming bath. And as potions let out, she figured if she was going to get him alone, she'd have to do something dastardly. So she went to the owlery.

It wasn't empty. Charlie was there, idly rubbing a smooth burn on his thumb and humming a song. She'd never seen him so . . . pensive before. Tentatively she headed up the steps, stopping a respectful distance away and clearing her throat.

Charlie looked up, seeing her. "Hullo, Ginny," he said. "Sending a message?"

"Yeah." She ascended the rest of the steps, finding Lily's tawny owl and attaching the note to its leg.

"You do realize that is Lily Evans's owl, right?" he asked.

"Yes . . ."

He shook his head. "You're going to end up in more trouble than the twins if you keep at it like this little sister."

"I have a plan to give Snape a bath," she said, spitting the words out before she could rethink. "I'll bet he does a lot better with less elbow, hair, and face grease."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Don't let mum find out you've taken to bathing our classmates."

"I won't," she promised. She edged closer to him. "Can I ask you what's bothering you?"

"Nothing, really," he said. "Just thinking."

"About dragons?"

"Dragons?"

Ginny felt herself pale at his quizzical tone. "You do love dragons more than life itself, right?"

"I do love dragons," he conceded. "Not sure if I'd say more than life itself." He paused, glancing toward the ceiling.

"Then you're thinking about quidditch," she said. "About how you're going to win our house the Quidditch Cup this year, right?"

"Quidditch?"

"You do love quidditch, right?" Ginny asked, the alarm bubbling to the surface again. Charlie had always been her brother who played quidditch well enough to play for England, but who'd gone chasing dragons and dashing his mother's hopes for a famous son. She didn't know too much more about him really. Unlike Bill, he'd spent his summers working for some muggle farmers, honing his love for the tamed wilderness. And she didn't see much of him at school since she'd been too little during his seven years.

In fact, she realized now that she didn't really know Charlie all that well.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, voice fearful.

Charlie stood up, giving her a quick hug. "You look freaked, Gin."

"I am freaked," she squeaked. "What are you thinking about if it isn't dragons or quidditch? What could make you so, so, so –"

"Lonely?" he asked. "You know, Bill's usually the only one who catches my mood swings." He let go of her and headed up the steps. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone," he said. "Not even Bill. Especially not Bill."

"Okay," she said, shuffling closer.

Charlie's face got a soft, un-Charlie-like expression. He pulled a folded photograph from his pocket, holding it out for his sister's inspection.

Ginny didn't know what she expected to see. A dragon or a quidditch player probably. Or a broomstick. Or . . . anything other than what she saw. Charlie was in the picture, his broad, freckled face tinged red with the beginnings of a sunburn. His cinnamon brown eyes were crinkled at the corners, smiling just as broadly as the grin stretched across his mouth. That was no surprise. No one smiled like Charlie. But he had his arm around someone.

A girl with white blonde hair, pale skin, and ice blue eyes. She was petite, with a stern looking mouth, with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners. She was wearing a black uniform with silver bars on the front. The picture didn't move. But it was clear enough to Ginny what Charlie and the girl felt in that moment: happiness.

"Who is she?"

"No one," he said softly. "Just the only one."

"But . . ."

"I found out yesterday," he said, voice cracking a bit. "She's gone now. Not coming back."

"Like moving to a different country?"

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. "If only it were that simple, Gin." He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. "Ah well, I guess there's always Romania."

"Romania?" she repeated.

"There's a base there. And a chance that she might be . . ."

"What?" Ginny asked, eyes too wide for her face. She'd always heard that Charlie decided to go chasing dragons in his sixth year at Hogwarts. He'd come home for the holidays and went to visit the muggle farmers like he usually did. Only they had moved out. He'd moped about for a bit, and when confronted, he'd announced that he was going to tame dragons one day in Romania. And after graduation, he'd left several lucrative offers to play for England, France, and Japan behind for his dragons. Ginny could still remember how their family always, somewhat fondly, somewhat exasperatedly complained that Charlie never loved a woman more than he loved dragons.

"Nothing," Charlie said. "She isn't coming back." Left unspoken was that he couldn't live without her. He started down the stairs. "Let's go and get you ready for Slughorn's party tonight, eh?"

She scampered after him. "Charlie . . . what was her name."

He shook his head. "I can't say it, Gin. It hurts still."

They walked toward the castle in silence, and when the neared a courtyard, Charlie paused. "Maybe she'll be there at Christmas, right?"

"Right," Ginny said. But inside she felt a sinking sensation. Charlie had a girl. And she'd left him, so he'd gone chasing dragons. Only it wasn't dragons he was chasing. He thought there was a chance she'd one day show up in Romania. Without warning, she threw herself in Charlie's arms, hugging him tight. "I'm sorry, Charlie, so so so sorry."

He laughed. "It's all right, Ginny. It's not as if I'm going to spend the rest of my life missing her. I'll get on with it. I promise."

Ginny felt a funny wiggle in her head. She'd accidentally made a potion in her second year at Hogwarts. A marvelous, complex, and deadly potion. She'd wanted something so that no one could possess her ever again. She didn't know if that part worked, but now when someone told an outright lie to her face, she could feel it. Charlie lied. He wasn't getting over his mystery girl. Not now. Not ever.

Ginny almost didn't feel like making her appointment with Snape after that, but in the end, she needed the distraction. She waited in the Prefects bathroom, and when Snape cautiously slipped in, she quickly jinxed the door stuck. "Sorry, it's just Ginny Weasely," she said. "I didn't know how else to get you here but to pretend to be Lily Evans."

Snape's dark eyes narrowed. "What do you want Weasley?"

"A trade," she said, holding up the flower. "This is the petal from a dragon lily."

Snape's eyes narrowed, his chin lifting to give her a signature Snape look. "And?" he asked, voice tight. "What would you want in return?"

"To give . . . you a bath," she said. "Or rather for you to take a bath with some soap I give you."

"Let me guess, the soap will make me go bald, or get a vile rash on my gentiles, or –"

"It's just soap," Ginny said. "I noticed that you like Lily. She's my roommate, you know. And well, I figured that if you actually bathed, you'd have a better chance at a real relationship."

"You think I don't know that!" he snapped.

"If you know, then why –"

"Don't I take baths or showers?" Snape asked. "Is that your next question? Because if it is, I swear that I will hex you into a thousand living pieces."

"Don't you mean dead?"

"No, I mean living," he said. "More painful that way."

"So . . . why don't you use soap?" Ginny asked, deciding not to phrase the question like he had. It seemed that this dark little temper might have been the thing that gained him the dark mark later in life.

"I do!"

She hopped off the edge of the Jacuzzi tub she'd been sitting on, suddenly curious. "Wait, you've been _cursed_ to be greasy, haven't you?"

He scowled.

"Who?"

His scowl deepened.

"James Potter," Ginny surmised. "And his arrogant sidekick the hairless cyclone."

"No kidding," Snape said. He sniffed indignantly. "At least I have leg hair."

"Ha, that's the spirit," Ginny said. "And if you can keep a secret – well, screw it. I shaved Potter and Black. With a hex. They won't grow any hair until they figure out the counterhex. And they won't figure that out because, well, just because. I can't give out all my secrets."

Snape looked a little more comfortable with her now. "Yes, well, I'll bathe with your soap if you promise that it won't do anything you wouldn't want done to yourself to me. And you give me the petal. I have a potion I've been interested in trying that requires a dragon lily."

"Deal," Ginny said, "But I want to sweeten the pot a bit. You're getting two things, so I should too."

"I'm already using your soap –"

"I want to kiss you," she said quickly. "I know you like Lily and she'd probably flip if she found out, but what I'm really going to do is scan you magically to find out what kind of curse Potter and Black put on you. Then I'm going to use the knowledge I gain to counter their spell with my soap so you can keep grease off." She stuck out her hand. "Deal?"

Snape seized her hand, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Ginny, figuring this was her one chance, quickly deepened the kiss, sending a probing magical inquire into his body at the same time. It was a good kiss. Snape, in spite of his obvious lack of experience in the kissing department, held her like a pro, his mouth and tongue and hands doing _all the right things._ When they broke the kiss, both were panting.

Ginny was grinning. "Good news," she said. "The soap will work as is. By this time tomorrow you'll be grease free."

Snape shook his head, looking thrilled. Instead of saying anything, he kissed her again. The forward motion of his body sent Ginny stepping back. She hit the edge of the tub, and fell in, Snape on top of her. Both sputtered to the surface, Snape accidently grabbing one of her breasts while trying to get up. As soon as he realized what he did, he blushed, his pale face colored like a rose.

"No worries," Ginny said. She handed him a bar of soap. "I think you and I might end up friends in this lifetime."

"I'll consider it," he said stiffly. "But if you ever breathe a word to Lily about what happened in here, I swear –"

"My lips are sealed," Ginny promised. She got out of the tub, and used a quick spell to draw the excess water from her robes. She dropped the water back into the tub, and toweled her face and hair. "See you at the party tonight, Snape."

"Weasely –"

She paused, looking back.

"You may call me Severus," he said stiffly.

"Call me Ginny then."

"Thank you . . . Ginny."

"My pleasure. Anything to muck with Sirius's magic."

She hadn't actually planned on going to Slughorn's party. After all Draco Malfoy's _father_ had been trying to get her to go as his date all week long. And she'd been avoiding Sirius and James like the plague. But she wanted to be there when Severus came in fluffy looking. It would so be worth it.

There was a wide assortment of students present. Including Tom Riddle. She'd forgotten about his particular brand of ilk. So when he started toward her, she stuck her hand into Sirius's and smiled coyly at the future Dark Lord. He stopped his approach, eyeing their hands skeptically.

"Dear Ginny," he began. "I know you can't be serious."

"I'm not," she said. "I just seriously have the hots for someone other than you." She squeezed Sirius's hand, and then turned away. Hopefully the douchenozzle Dark Lord would take a hint and Disapparate. He didn't.

"Wow," James said. "If it isn't our beloved Head Boy."

"What do you want Potter?" Riddle inquired. Ginny wondered if he know that once, in a past, future life, he'd murdered James? Definitely not. But now that she was thinking about it, she didn't want Riddle causing Sirius any trouble. She let go of his hand, and put it on Riddle's chest.

"Fine, you want the truth? I can't stand you. You're not my _Dear Tom_, and I don't feel even the slightest attraction to you. You make me sick, and if you really, really want to impress me, you'll stop dabbling in things you shouldn't."

Riddle ogled her like she sprouted a second head. Ginny rolled her eyes and walked away. Before she got too far, she fixed Sirius with a cool look. "And just in case it didn't get through your head. I was _ly_ing when I said I had the hots for you. Got it?"

He grinned wickedly. "Whatever you say, Weasely ," he drawled, raising the hand she'd been holding to his lips and kissing his palm.

Ginny rolled her eyes, turning away. She found a corner and was watching the door for Snape's debut, when Sirius sat down beside her on the loveseat. She couldn't resist suddenly turning and punching him in the arm. Of course, when the poor guy spilled his drink down the front of his white shirt and turned out to not be Sirius, but rather a younger lookalike, she felt a great swelling of guilt.

She wiped out her wand and quickly did a stain removal spell. The cranberry juice seeped out of the shirt, leaving only a slightly pink hue behind. "I am so sorry," she said. "I thought you were Sirius Black."

The boy – who looked to be about fourteen – gave her a horrified look. "Do I look like a blood traitor?" he hissed, touching his _slytherian_ tie.

"Oh," Ginny said, suddenly pleased to see him. "You're Regulus Black, aren't you?"

"Yes . . . "

"I've heard a lot about you," she said. "Fred and George say you squeal like a girl, but –"

"I do not!" he whined, voice breaking into a high, screechy octave. He fell silent, and stood up, fuming. "Stupid Weaselys,' he muttered darkly before stomping away.

Ginny would have followed and apologized, but Severus showed up. Without the grease he looked wicked handsome. Still odd, his nose still too big. But his hair was silky, and screamed that it needed to be touched, feminine fingers trailing through the silken locks. And his skin had a healthy sheen to it. His black eyes, always his best feature in Ginny's opinion, met hers, and a cruel, happy smile stretched across his mouth.

They were going to have to work on that.

Of course, Bellatrix Black dropped the glass of punch she was holding a sashshayed her way over to him. "Severus, you are a pureblood, right?" she cooed. "The only one I'm managing to attract is that grubby-guttersnipe, Rondolphous, and I'd much prefer-"

"Let go," he sneered.

Her hands fell to her side, and she stepped away, pouting.

James and Sirius exchanged twin glances. They knew he wasn't supposed to be grease-free. But even worse, they didn't seem to like his new commanding tone. Or the way that Lily gushed over Snape's appearance. Not to mention all the other girls in the room.

And even when James tried to make a snide comment about Snape _finally_ bathing in something other than extra virgin olive oil, it just fell flat.

Hah! Ginny thought triumphantly. It served them both right for having dirty, sexy fantasies about her. And even better, they didn't seem to have their usual flock of girls, which took the edge off a bitter emotion called jealousy that she was really wishing she didn't have in relation to either of them.

The girls would be back tomorrow though. Severus was just a new pretty to look at tonight. And he only had eyes for Lily. As they slow danced, Ginny wondered if things would be really, really bad if James and Lily never got together. After all, Harry was already born, so it wasn't like he'd pop out of existence. Right?

**Author's Note:** Okay. First, thanks to everyone who has been reading. I hope this is keeping your interest :) Second, as for the part with Charlie, there's a related short-story "Chasing Dragons" about Charlie and his girl. The girl is a super-minor Star Wars character. So minor she's practically OC (but more on that later).

As for Ginny kissing Snape, in my mind her magic is a little bit primal, so kissing helps. I figure that if dark magic likes blood, Ginny-magic likes kisses.


	7. The Weekend

**Author's Note:** I just wanted to drop a quick thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this. And keep in mind that I do take suggestions seriously, and constructive criticism is always welcome.

**Chapter Seven: The Weekend**

Ginny started the weekend at midnight after Slughorn's party. It had started winding down around 11 o'clock, and she'd faked a yawn and then muttered to Severus and Lily that she was going to cash in early. They nodded, saying quick good-byes. They were pretty much lost in each others' eyes, Severus holding Lily's hand, their conversation low and inching toward the more-than-friends tone.

As she left, she scanned the still mingling students. James and Sirius had already left. She supposed they had went to bed, but, knowing a bit about their secret history, she supposed that they could actually be anywhere in the castle. The castle was a big place though, with countless winding passages, moving stairs, hidden walls, secret passageways, and vanishing rooms. Even if they were out maraudering the chances of encountering them were pretty low.

Ginny's goals for the weekend were simple. She was on a ghost hunt. After talking it over with Bill, they'd decided that they needed to find Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem first. After all, it was at Hogwarts during the final battle, so it was probably still around somewhere. The problem was that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the only ones who knew where it actually was – and none of them remembered a thing. All Bill knew was that Harry had gotten the information from the Grey Lady.

So here she was, creeping down the southwest corridor, eyes peeled for the most reclusive ghost at Hogwarts. By morning, she'd nearly gotten caught by Filch twice, narrowly avoided running into Professor McGonagall, accidentally tripped over Ms. Norris and successfully escaped, and she'd run into almost every unhelpful ghost. Including Peeves the Poltergeist.

He'd started to give her lip, but she threatened him with the Winchesters.

"Which one?" he asked, a quiver of something close to fear in his voice.

"Which one do you think?" She put her hands on her hips, trying to give the impression that is _so_ obvious.

"Dean?" Peeves said, shivering involuntarily.

Ginny nodded. "In particular him, but specifically, all of them." She wasn't sure how many Winchesters there were, but if they would put Peeves in his place, she hoped there were lots and lots of them.

Peeves shuddered and zipped off down the hall, cursing under his breath. Ginny decided that Dean Winchester was her new hero. She'd never been able to simply thwart Peeves before. Usually she had to manipulate him into causing trouble for someone else.

Still, as the first blush of dawn peeked over the horizon, she still hadn't tracked down the Grey Lady. Her feet hurt from trekking around the castle. Her stomach rumbled, desperate for breakfast. And her eyes burned with the need for sleep.

Breakfast started at eight. It was only six. She debated just returning to Gryffindor tower and sleeping until breakfast, but a loud rumble convinced her to go to the kitchens instead. That was a mistake. She reached the portrait of the fruit basket, tickling the pear to open the secret entrance.

Several house-elves turned to look at her. They were an ugly, pathetic lot, with bat-like ears and tennis ball eyes. None of the house-elves she used to know were there. It seemed strange to be in the kitchens without Winky and Dobby, but the two were probably still stuck serving the Crouches and Malfoys. She smiled at the ones who were there, thinking about how SPEW probably wouldn't get started in this new timeline. "Morning . . . mind if I grab a bite to eat? I'm starving."

They bowed and scampered about, getting breakfast set for her. Maybe she could nudge Hermione into the right direction. Or somehow get Harry to get Malfoy to free Dobby. She didn't have the desire to free house-elves the same way Hermione did.

She was still thinking about SPEW when her breakfast was set in front of her. Toast with melting butter, scrabbled eggs, sausages, fresh fruit, and a glass of orange juice. Perfect. She had just started eating when the door opened.

"Weasley!" Remus Lupin said, sounding surprised.

She looked over. The quietest Marauder had twigs in his hair and mud on his robes. His blue eyes looked worried. Apparently he'd been maraudering outside – probably with his buddies.

"Hiya," she said, scooting over to make room for him. "You look like you need breakfast." She motioned to the house-elves. "Can you get Prof – er - Lupin something?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes well, I was just, ah – what did you call me?"

"Lupin." She gritted her teeth, peeling her lips back in a grimace of an attempted smile. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Before he answered, the door opened again, and James, Sirius and Pettigrew came through. James had a few twigs in his hair, and a brush of drying mud across his forehead and cheek. He was laughing quietly at something Sirius said. His glasses were slightly askew. Sirius was dirty too, but he wore his dirt like it was a set of dress robes. Only he wasn't wearing his robes. They were folded over his arm. He was wearing a tight black tee shirt that showcased the definition in his muscles. There were scratches from his romp through the woods on his arms, dirt in his dark hair, and a bright red scratch across his left cheek.

He caught her staring and gave a knowing smile, nodding his head toward her for James's benefit. The gang leader grinned upon seeing her. "Look who's out of bed."

"It's morning," Ginny said. "I don't think there's anything about leaving bed in the morning."

Sirius snagged a sausage off her plate, eating it in a couple of bites. "Maybe not, but you're still wearing your party dress. Where were you last night?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well, if you'd bothered to go back to your room last night, you wouldn't have to ask."

"What?" Pettigrew squeaked. "What does that mean?" He looked dirty and sweaty. His face was red, blond hair plastered to his head with a thick swath of sweat.

"Yeah," Remus said, "What does that mean exactly, Miss Weasley?"

"I would like to know as well," James said. "Because it sounds like you're accusing us of breaking school rules."

Ginny shrugged, slapping his hand away from her plate. "All I'm saying is that I went to spend the night with you, and I waited in your room _all night_, and I never saw any of you."

"Why'd you want to see James?" Sirius asked, then, realizing that he'd pretty much admitted his absence, he added, "And are you blind? He was in his bed all night long."

"Sure," she said. "Shaving his legs no doubt."

Remus put his hand on hers. "Miss Weasley, we were in our rooms until this morning –"

"Remus Lupin," she said, covering his hand with my hand. "I don't care where you were last night. And in answer to Sirius's question about why I was waiting for James, the answer is simple."

James grabbed a plate a house-elf shoved at him. "Oh yeah?"

"I wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

"Doesn't matter," Ginny drawled. "I don't feel like telling anymore." She rubbed her calf suggestively, drawing his attention to her smooth, non-hairy skin. She probably shouldn't have done that. He scowled darkly, and she saw the start of suspicion in his eyes. Well, if he tried to retaliate it would serve her right, but seriously, how bad could he be? She'd seen all of Harry's tricks, and doubted his dad – former dad, current older brother – could do much worse.

She finished her breakfast, keeping an eye on the dirty wizards. They dropped her from their conversation, apparently deciding that the silent treatment was an appropriate punishment. Their conversation was light and cheerful, although Pettigrew was already fretting about a potential pop quiz in Charms. He wanted to work on a Tanning Charm too, but was worried he'd mess it up and give himself a sunburn.

Ginny found herself trying not to watch Sirius Black. There was a recklessness to him for sure. He was definitely the type of guy who'd ride a flying motorcycle. A bad boy who a heart of gold. That part hadn't changed from the Sirius Black of her memory. But he didn't have haunted desperation oozing from his posture, flickering behind his black eyes, sunk deep into his voice.

She'd spent the summer of her fourth year at 12 Grimmauld Place. The thing that always got her about Sirius was that he was broken. Beyond fixing. The best anyone could ever do for him was to let him live free. But instead of free, he'd been locked in his mother's house. Out of the action.

Thinking about it brought the quiet sting of anger and pity to her face. She sniffled, feeling tears prickling at her eyes. It was exhaustion, she told herself. And besides, everything was different now. He wasn't murdered. He was alive. His best friend was alive. He had a second shot at happiness. And she really didn't need to give him such a hard time.

Abruptly, she giggled, the sound completely involuntary. It caught her off guard, and she tried to suppress it, only to discover the compulsion to giggle was getting stronger. She spun to look at Sirius and saw him struggling to look innocent. He was failing miserably. Curse him!

She slipped her wand from the sleeve of her dress robes, and pointed it at him, still giggling. James and Sirius and Remus and Pettigrew all drew their wands in response. "You're outnumbered, I'd think carefully before you do anything stupid," Remus said.

They were right, but the rebel in her said to fight anyway. She lowered her wand, giving a little flourish at the last second. A jet of blue light sprang from the tip, arching toward Sirius in a lazy arch.

The young wizards moved as a team. Pettigrew and James took up a defensive stance, Pettigrew using a basic deflection charm, and James using something she didn't recognize. Sirius and Remus attacked. Of all things, Remus threw a Patronous at her. And Sirius cast a low-level flame-based hex at her. Neither of them seemed like proper responses. Between giggles, she cast her own defensive spells. A nice and quiet dousing spell for Sirius's charm. She didn't bother trying to counter the Patronous because she most certainly wasn't a dementor.

Several things happened at the same time, Remus's spell turned out to only _look_ like a Patronous. The silvery wings hit her wand hand, making her fingers fall asleep. They tingled fiercely, and her wand fell from her fingers. She caught it with her left hand, but by that time, Sirius's spell hit her, and she felt a sudden, strong desire to take all her clothes off because she was overheating.

On her side of things, her spell passed was just barely deflected from her intended target, Sirius, to her unintended target, Remus Lupin. And all the hexes and curses currently afflicting her were transferred to the young werewolf.

She had already taken her outer robes off, yanked her grey vest over her head, and popped several buttons on her blouse. She was almost hysterical with laughter, and she couldn't feel anything but pins and needles in her right arm. Then she was better.

Remus stripped like the devil had set him on fire. His robes landed on Pettigrew, his pants landed in a pot of porridge the house elves were cooking. Ginny saw his underwear go too, but she didn't want to see where they landed. She was outnumbered, and realized, rather quickly, that Sirius and James were probably capable of dueling her at her own level at least. It wasn't like dueling Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Those three put together had a good hex in them. Sirius and James were more like fighting Fred and George. Just when you thought you had them, they pulled out an Extendable Swamp.

So she ran. She hit the corridor, using a charm to conjure water for any pursuit to slip in. James came out the door first, falling backward. Sirius braced him, and they took off after her, spells zinging through the air.

Ginny threw the Jelly Legs curse at Sirius, but he deflected it easily. It bounced down a side corridor. There was a shout of surprise, from an unwary subject. Ginny froze, recognizing the voice. Mad-Eye Moody. She locked eyes with James and Sirius, and without a word, the three stopped their duel and _fled._

They didn't stop until they were on the other side of the castle, panting and out of breath by the boathouse. "Nice work, Sirius," Ginny gasped. "Hit Moody with Jelly Legs."

"It was your spell," he countered. "We'll be lucky if his mad-eye didn't get a good look at us. Because if he did, I'm blaming you for everything."

"And I'm backing him up," James said, he'd already stopped panting, and was breathing slowly.

"It won't come to that," Ginny said. "If he saw us, we'd be dead already." She started buttoning up her shirt. "But damn, you guys can duel. I didn't expect your skills to be so diverse."

"Well," Sirius said, "We aim to exceed expectations."

"Although," James said, "Considering we took 1st and 2nd in last year's Dueling Competition, I'm not sure what you based your expectations on. I mean, you didn't even participate."

"I had better things to do," she said, hiding a yawn behind her hand. The morning sunlight was sparkling on the lake, giving her an almost tranquil feeling. "I guess I didn't realize that you guys did so well. I'd ask who took 1st though . . ."

"Guess."

She gave a lazy grin, sizing the both of them up. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say that Sirius won."

James looked wounded. "Well, he didn't. I did."

"Then Sirius let you win."

James's wounded look turned appreciative. "You're trying to flip me."

"Huh?"

"You're trying to drive a wedge between me and Sirius. It's part of your plan."

"My plan to do what exactly?"

"You're the criminal mastermind," Sirius said. "You tell us."

She eyed them both. "I don't know what to do with either of you," she said finally. "I have important things to do. And I don't need to be sidetracked by either of you."

"Are we distracting you?"

"Yes," she said honestly. "You keep bringing out my worst qualities. I was just thinking nice things about Sirius and then –" She cut herself off. "I want to go to my room and sleep now." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Good morning to the both of you."

"Sleep tight, then," James said. He nudged Sirius.

"Mmmm . . ." Ginny murmured, turning. She really didn't want to know what that nudge was for. Probably her saying she was thinking nice thoughts. Who knew how they had interpreted that slip of the tongue.

She started up the wooden steps leading back to the castle. She'd only ascended two, when Sirius grabbed her elbow gently, spinning her. She started to open her mouth, a snide comment on her lips. But he kissed her. Tongue plunging into her, stealing her breath. The warrior in her demanded she fight back, so she did. She kissed him back fiercely, but at the back of her mind, a quiet part of her said she should just give in and let him take her for all she was worth. Said she should surrender to him.

Of course that was crazy. She'd given herself over to Tom Riddle completely, and as a result, she'd ended up near dead in the Chamber of Secrets.

She broke the kiss by kneeing him in the crotch. He groaned, stepping back. She ran, not waiting to see what would happen next.

She returned to her room. Lily and Tonks were sleeping in. She showered, then climbed into bed, meaning to sleep for just a few hours. When she woke up, the sun was high in the sky. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and pulled on a worn pair of jeans and a red tank top. She left her robes behind. Dress codes were fine for class, but she wasn't going to live in a grey skirt with a gold and red tie wrapped around her neck.

Downstairs she started her homework. The Common Room was almost empty, so she had most of it to herself. Remus Lupin was by the window seat. He was writing with his left hand, wearing shorts, and the occasional giggle escaped him. He shot her more than one dirty look.

After about the seventh one, she headed over. "Look, I'm really sorry," she said. "I'll remove the enchantments, if you want."

He giggled. "It's no use. James and *giggle* Sirius designed these spells. They have to *giggle* run *giggle* their course."

Ginny looked around. Hermione and Neville were the only other people in the room, and they were both preoccupied with their own work. She licked her lips, and quickly kissed Remus on the mouth. He tasted like chocolate, and actually had a nice, small mouth. She pushed her sensing magic into him, getting a quick glimpse of the enchantments. Pulling back, she wiped out her wand, and while the answers still lingered in her head, she cast a couple of counter-curses.

Remus stopped giggling, wiggled the fingers in his right hand, and stopped looking like he was sitting in a sauna. "What did you do?"

"I'm bloody brilliant," Ginny said. "Let's just call it even, kay?"

He agreed, and she spent the next two hours working on her homework beside him rather than while being glared at by him. Of course, when Sirius and James and Pettigrew showed up, she left. And Sirius looked seriously pissed about getting kneed in the crotch.

Besides, she had to find the Grey Lady.


	8. The Marauders Map

**Chapter Eight: The Marauders Map**

Monday morning, Ginny tried to focus on Professor Binns while he droned on about the Goblin Revolution of 1679. She felt anxious having James behind her, and remembering his pigtail trick the week before, she kept touching her hair to make sure it was still loose. She anticipated trouble from the Marauders. It seemed she'd declared war on them.

And all _was _fair in war. Love too.

She had spent the entire weekend looking for the Grey Lady without success. Bill hadn't found her either. And although MacNair saw her for a split second, when he approached, she'd vanished in a poof of smoke. It wasn't like they'd expected instant results, but at the very least, they had expected to have something to show for spending the entire weekend trying to talk to a single ghost.

Professor Binns suddenly looked up from his book. "Miss Weasley," he said. "Please stand."

She blinked. "Professor?"

"Stand please," he repeated.

She stood up, completely baffled. Professor Binns didn't interact with students. The old dude just droned and droned. And when he did interact with students, he always got their names wrong.

"Tell me about Samantha Harlequin Devlin the Third," he commanded.

"I . . . am not familiar with that witch," Ginny said. Most of the students were giving her sympathetic looks, but Sirius was looking downright delighted.

"Samantha Harlequin Devlin the Third was a witch from Circe. She lived by the sea, and dressed provocatively. Short, short skirts and tight white tops without the benefit of a undergarments."

"Uhmm . . ."

"What year did she live?"

"I don't know," Ginny said.

"1444," Binns said. "The local muggles knew there was something different about her. They had her beheaded."

"Oh," Ginny said faintly. Was there a point to this story?

"Do you at least no why she dressed like she did?"

"No."

"Because she used a time tuner carelessly and ended up nearly 900 years in the past."

Ginny nodded, still not sure where this was going. Did he know that she was kinda in the past, and kinda in the future, but that, for all intents and purposes, this was now the present?

"Do you know the morale to be learned from her story?"

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "That when you time travel you should dress to the period you time travel too?"

Binns shook his head. "Please come to the front of the classroom."

She walked forward, rather completely baffled now. When she reached the front, he had her turn to face the class.

"Can anyone tell me what is wrong with Miss Weasley's appearance?"

Her hands flew to her hair. She locked eyes with James, and he gave a small shake of his head. She followed his eyes to her chest. Looking down she realized that he'd vanished both her bra and her vest in addition to tightening the fabric of her shirt. Her eyes narrowed at him.

Sirius raised his hand. "She's not wearing her school uniform."

"That is correct," Binns said. "Take twenty points for your House." He looked at Ginny. "Don't come back until your uniform is regulation. I won't have my students up to no good."

Ginny nodded slowly. She turned, and, head high, strolled into the hallway. As soon as she was out of the room, fury crashed around her ears. She'd danced the one-up game with Cho Chang before. Gotten used to the rules. Adjusted her battle strategy.

She just wasn't ready for James and Sirius. And why the hell were they giving her grief like this anyway? She'd barely interacted with them. And everything she did to them was because they provoked her first. Like now. She'd have to retaliate.

In her room, she put on a new bra and uniform. Then, decided a bit of investigating was appropriate if she was going to get them back appropriately. She used the passage to the Marauders room. And went through their stuff quickly, looking for some sort of leverage.

She saw the Marauders Map. Her fingers brushed over the yellowed parchment. She would have kept going, but something about what Binns said lingered in her head. He didn't want his students up to no good, but that was what the Marauders did best. She tucked the map into her book-bag, and returned to class.

She expected to have to dodge triumphant looks from the Marauders. She expected she would have to act innocent even though she was no better than a common thief at the moment.

The classroom was empty. She looked at the clock, noting that there were still thirty minute left before class was supposed to be out. And Binns never ended class early. There were a couple of scorch marks on the chalkboard though. And the desks looked like they'd been shoved out of the way. Someone had broken the window too. She walked to the broken glass, peering out. There was a tear from someone's robe on the edge of the roof.

Freaked, she pulled the Map out, tapping it with her wand. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

Thin lines spread like a spider web from where her wand touched the paper. The lines quickly formed corridors and classrooms. Words formed at the top in great, curly green letters.

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_Are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

She checked for the dots representing her classmates. Most were roaming free. Binns was escorting three students toward Professor Dumbledore's office. Sirius Black, James Potter, and . . . Charlie Weasley.

She gulped. She'd forgotten about him, hadn't even checked his reaction to the sabotage to her wardrobe. Clearly there had been a fight. Clearly someone had gotten hurt. She checked the map again and noticed that Pettigrew and Lupin were in the Hospital Wing. Along with Tonks, although she was probably just trying to help Lupin.

Ginny took off toward Dumbledore's office. He was pretty lenient, but she didn't want anything happening to her brother. She reached his office when she noticed Dumbledore wasn't there. MacNair was close though. Reaching him, she stopped running. "Hey."

"What's wrong?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"My brother got in a fight with James Potter and Sirius Black. Professor Binns is bringing them here to see the Headmaster."

"Ouch," MacNair said. "I'd hate to get expelled . . ."

"Expelled? What? Why?"

"Special orders," MacNair said. "Unless Dumbledore feels a second chance is warranted."

"Well he's got to," Ginny said. "Charlie doesn't normally do stuff like this –"

"Huh? No. You're brother will be fine. So will Potter. But Black's heading home. He got in a fight with Regulus Black already. Dumbledore got a letter saying that any additional fights, and he's being pulled from school and sent to Durmstrang." He sniffed. "It's all for the best. Never did like Black anyway." He gave her a reassuring smile, and said "I've got to get to class now. Hopefully we find little Miss Grey today, eh?"

"Uhmm . . . yeah," Ginny said. Sirius was going to get expelled? "Gumdrops," she said, reading the password from the map. She headed up the winding steps, and entered Dumbledore's office. Fawkes the phoenix ruffled his feathers. She sat in one of the chairs, trying to think.

Without Sirius her life would be easier. James would be depressed. Lupin wasn't trouble. She'd be able to –

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a long silver hair. "Mischief managed," she murmured, and the Map turned into a simple piece of parchment. She picked the hair up, pulling a vial of polyjuice that Hermione had given her from her potions case. She added the hair, drinking the potion. Instantly she felt taller and ancient.

Thirty seconds later she was sitting in Dumbledore's chair. "Come in," she called out before Binns knocked. The History of Magic professor came in, thrusting Charlie and Sirius forward. "They fought. In my classroom. Magic and fists."

James tried to elbow his way forward. "It wasn't Sirius, Professor, it was me. Binns –"

"Professor Binns," Ginny said.

"Professor Binns nabbed the wrong guy –"

"I'll take it from here Professor," Ginny said. She motioned for Binns to leave. And waited until he was gone. She tried to think about how Dumbledore would craft a punishment; this was probably a terrible, terrible idea. "You say that James Potter was in the fight, Charlie?"

Charlie frowned, and then frowned harder. "Yes. I was trying to . . . injure both of them."

"Okay," Ginny said. "You all three have detention."

"For how long?"

"Two weeks," Ginny said. "You're to put together a masquerade party. And I won't hear mention of this detention anymore. In fact, you won't repeat this conversation to anyone. I want everyone to think it was your idea. Now go before I change my mind and expel you all."

Charlie rolled his eyes.

James and Sirius – both seeing a good thing when they saw one – booked it out of the office.

"You're going to get busted," Charlie said.

"Huh?"

Charlie caught her arm, and hauled her around the desk. "Let's get out of here before the real Professor shows up, okay?"

"Okay."

Five minutes later, they were heading down a hall, Ginny back as herself. Charlie wanted to know about how she changed back so fast but Ginny didn't tell him. Her older brother had gotten a split lip and a cracked rib in his fist-and-magic fight with Sirius.

"I can't believe you let him go without a sterner punishment," he said. "They humiliated you."

"And you gave them hell," Ginny said. "I didn't want you punished for that." She bit her bottom lip. "Besides, you and James are on the Quidditch team. You need to get along so we can win. I figured if you got Sirius expelled, that would ruin things."

"He wouldn't have gotten expelled –"

"Rumor has it that if he gets caught fighting he'll be expelled," Ginny said. "And what you didn't know is that I provoked them into retaliating. By charming their legs hairless." She didn't tell him that she'd also kneed Sirius in the crotch. Or that she'd be working up revenge if she hadn't stolen the map already.

Charlie accepted her story and left. Dumbledore materialized behind her three seconds later. His blue eyes twinkled. "Very nicely done, Ms. Weasely," he said. "I was wondering why you pretended to be me."

Ginny opened her mouth and then closed it. "Yes, well," she said, fidgeting. Now she was going to get expelled. Her mom was going to flip.

"It's quite alright," he said. "I would have hated to send Sirius Black home. He's almost as talented as Tom Riddle."

"But he's got a good heart," Ginny said. "So he's worth ten Tom Riddles."

Dumbledore smile vacantly. "Ah, do I detect young love?"

She blushed. "No, I . . ."

"It's alright, my lips are, so to speak, sealed. And I am looking forward to the masquerade party. Would you know that I've been wanting one for years, but never came up with the time to plan it. And now I have three talented volunteers."

Ginny smiled weakly. Dumbledore walked away humming.


	9. Matchmaking

**Chapter Nine: Matchmaking**

The weeks leading to the masquerade passed in a blur. Although she'd already lived through her sixth year classes, Ginny quickly discovered that the curriculum had changed. It was harder for one. The teachers focused on the physical application of spells almost as much as the theory. And there was an expectation that the students in the Sixth year would be preparing for NEWTS.

To this end, Professor Binns droned extra hard about Wizarding Conventions, Goblin Revolutions, and ancient politics. Unwilling to let her guard down, Ginny found herself unable to doze off in class, which meant that she was starting to pick up stuff she'd never heard before. In fact, in one class, Professor Binns mentioned a familiar name: Winchester.

It was in the context of Hunters, who were apparently humans who hunted and killed the supernatural. Back in the 40s, there had been a network of Hunters who'd come extremely close to discovering the Quidditch World Cup, which was being held in New York, in America. Then, thankfully, mysterious dark forces – probably demons, in Binns's opinion – had wiped the whole lot out. And nowadays, the Hunters were more scattered, and often hunted alone. The most famous of them were the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam. The legend had it that they had "ganked" more evil spooks and critters of the night than the entire Department of Aurors in the United States had.

Ginny romanticized about one day meeting Dean Winchester and teaming up with him to take a certain choice wizards and witches down to a permanent end. In particular, she felt there would be a poetic justice in a muggle putting an end to Tom Riddle, who – in spite of his sleaziness – charmed teachers and students like the Pied Piper.

And he'd attempted a love spell on her! She'd been by the lake reading for Charms.

It was a beautiful fall day, a strong breeze coming from the lake. It was still hot – about 80 degrees – and the lawn was a lush green. She had a red and gold blanket adorned with the Gryffindor crest spread out, and was propped up on her elbows when a shadow fell across the page.

It was Harry Potter, his green eyes sparkling like emeralds behind his round glasses. His dark hair was going every which way, and she could see his knobby knees trembling. "E-excuse me Miss Weasley," he stammered. He'd somehow developed a crush on her, which was rather irritating, considering his age.

"Call me Ginny," she said, rolling to a sitting position.

He gulped and thrust a piece of folded paper at her. "Take it!"

"What is it, Harry?"

He blushed. "Sorry, got to go." He rushed off, meeting up with Ron several yards away. Ron gave her the head nod, and the two turned to head toward Hagrid's Hut, Harry looking rather faint. Ron looked like there wasn't much special about his _older_ sister, and seemed to be telling Harry so.

Ginny unfolded the letter. Inside was a handwritten letter. The words were written in silver, and seemed to come off the page and twine around her fingers. They spiraled into the air, taking a silvery image of a man.

"Dear Ginny," the silvery figure of Tom Riddle said. "This spell is a gift to you." The silver swirled again, turning into a long-stemmed silver rose with jade green leaves and crimson petals. Instantly she felt her pulse jump, the beginnings of the love spell trying to work into her blood. The spell started working, making her thoughts linger on Riddle and his evil-filled eyes. A million lustful fantasies danced through her mind's eye. Then, as quickly as they came, her magical immune system flared up, eradicating the thoughts until they were nothing but a bad memory.

Of course, it was hard to keep her thoughts on Riddle with the amount of homework she had to do. Moody was living up to the name "Mad-Eye." He taught the students various counter-hexes, shielding spells, and countercurses. Then he'd fling the real thing at them and cuss them out if they screwed up. He was rather fond of partnering her with Sirius too.

For his part, Sirius did his best to hex and curse her to pieces, and she tried to do the same back at him. But most of the time they ended up at a draw, both sweating from the effort, and no better off. It gave her an increased admiration for Sirius, not that she would admit it to him. The truth was, she hated looking at him because of the way it made her feel. Once, in the Great Hall, she'd caught herself looking at him, and realized that her face felt all soft and loving. She'd transformed that into a scowl real quick.

But it didn't help when Professor Trelawny started making predictions that Sirius was going to marry a girl in the class after accidentally getting her pregnant. Ginny was pretty sure that it was another one of Trelawny's crap-predictions, but she couldn't help remembering that the reason Voldemort had set out to kill Harry was because of a _real_ prophecy from Trelawny.

It didn't help that most of the girls in the class had started giggling at the prospect of marrying Sirius Black. Or that he seemed to be soaking up the attention like a dry sponge in a lake. Ginny ignored him studiously anytime she got near anything that remotely resembled a tea leaf.

James got paired with her regularly in Transfiguration. They'd started human transfiguration – something that was only taught in theory in Ginny's normal timeline. James was pretty good at it to. And under the guise of practicing, he changed her hair color to hot pink, changed her hair color and gave her a mermaid fin on one occasion. In return she gave him antlers on his elbows and Weasely-red hair and freckles that refused to fully fade for days.

Of course, her nights were filled with trips to the Room of Requirement, where she worked tirelessly with MacNair and Bill in an effort to sabotage Riddle's rise to power. Using the Marauder's Map, they'd finally tracked down the Grey Lady, who reluctantly confirmed that she had stolen her mother's diadem and hidden it in the Forbidden Forrest. Thus far the three hadn't managed to retrieve it.

But Bill had managed to remove all information on Holocruxes from the library. Nearly painstakingly, he altered ancient texts so there wasn't so much as a trace mention of them. MacNair spent his time in with the Slytherians trying to drive a wedge between Riddle and any of his future followers. He did that by revealing Riddle's muggle father. Bellatrix was the most devastated of all. Ginny spotted her skulking around near Gryffindor tower, muttering that her choices were dwindling to Black, Lestrange, and Snape. Maybe Malfoy – even though she'd promised to leave him to Narcissa.

Ginny had quite the opposite problem as Bellatrix. She had a host of suitors. Unwanted suitors. Actually just two: Lucious and Riddle. She silently wished that Sirius would flirt with her instead of antagonizing her, but so far there was no luck.

Everyone was gearing up for the masquerade though. Everyone was to have a date. There were three days where people could find their own date – so as to not mess with couples. And then, there would be a lottery system for the remainder. That way no one would be left behind. Dumbledore thought it was a grand idea. Ginny wished she'd agreed to go with MacNair, when he offered. Knowing her luck, she'd get paired with one of the Slytherian wing-nuts she spent so much time despising and avoiding.

She was in her bedroom when an owl tapped the glass with the date assignments. Tonks practically tripped over herself grabbing the owl and yanking the letter from its leg. It let out a dignified hoot, and flew out the window.

"What's it say?" Lily asked. She was sitting by her vanity, brushing her long red hair. Severus Snape had asked her to go with him, but she'd turned him down flat. He was more like a brother to her or something like that.

"It – It says that Ginny is going to go with . . . Remus," she said, looking up. Her eyes were currently grey, and they looked like storm clouds were rolling in.

"We can fix that," Ginny said. "I'll bet the guys haven't gotten their letters yet. I'll swap my name for yours on Remus's letter."

"Really?"

"Course, you two are made for each other."

Tonks beamed. "So then you get my date."

"Yep."

"Who is it anyway?"

"Tom Riddle," Tonks said. "I know, I know . . . most handsome guy in the school, and any girl would be lucky to have him. You must be –"

"Gross," Ginny said. "I'm swapping mine out too."

"Great," Lily said. "I'll take Riddle, and you can have mine."

"Who do you have?"

"James Harry Potter, the pig," she said with a snort.

"I'd rather him than Riddle," Ginny said. "But isn't there anyone you'd rather have besides Riddle? I can't give you to his clutches in good conscience."

Lily looked thoughtful. "Well . . . if you must know, I'm kinda sweet on – on – Bill Weasley." She blushed, looking as giddy as a schoolgirl. "I know he's your brother and all, but damn he's hot. And smart. And sexy."

"Gotta agree with that," Tonks said. "He's got a dragon-fang earring –"

"And you've got to hear him reciting ancient curses in Greek," Lily said, fanning herself. "Could you imagine that voice whispering naughty things in the dark?"

"Okay, that's just eww . . ." Ginny said. "But I'd be willing to sacrifice my brother to keep you safe from Riddle."

She bit her bottom lip. "So Tonks and Remus. Lily and Bill. I'll swap a Bellatrix in with Riddle and swap her current partner to whoever Bellatrix was supposed to be with. And I'll take James."

"Can we actually do this?" Lily asked, nibbling on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I bet we get caught."

"Are you kidding? Tonks is a Dark Arts genius. You're unstoppable in Charms, and I've got a nose for mischief. We'll be done before anyone knows there was tampering." Ginny quickly divvied up the tasks, and the three girls went about matchmaking as they saw fit.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a mess. Everyone was flashing their letters, talking excitedly about the upcoming event. Several people looked rather nonplussed by their prearranged matches. Riddle was trying to shake an angry Bellatrix off, and she kept snarling that she wasn't going anywhere with a filthy mudblood. She planned on hounding him until he gave in.

Remus was looking uncomfortable with Tonks sitting super close to him, and he kept dribbling his porridge down his chin. As Ginny passed them by, she could hear Tonks's prattling about what color of dress she should wear to the party.

A little farther in the room, she saw Bill approaching Lily Evans. He looked uncomfortable with the prospect of going on a date with Harry Potter's former mother. Ginny felt his pain. She was going to have to go out with Harry's dad. But unlike Bill, she was almost excited at the prospect. For all his faults, James Potter was –

She froze. James Potter was holding Katie Bell's hand, telling her how thrilled he was to be going out with her. She didn't look as pleased as he was. Catching her eye, James gave her a small shrug. "Lost the coin toss," he said, as if that explained everything.

Twenty seconds later, Sirius materialized at my side. "Miss Weasley?"

"Ginny," she corrected. "I think I've hexed you enough and been hexed by you enough to dispense with the formalities, don't you?"

"Certainly," Sirius said. "I was merely waiting for your permission."

Ginny grunted in response, sitting down. "Join me for breakfast?" she offered, hoping he'd say no and go away. There had been a great temptation to accidentally put his name down beside hers and go to the party with him. But those stupid pregnancy and marriage predictions kept her from doing anything to let them come true.

"Sure."

He sat across from her, taking a breakfast roll and buttering it slowly. "So . . . I guess you got your letter last night along with everyone else."

"I haven't opened it," said Ginny. "You're out of school uniform."

Sirius touched his shoulders, making a show of looking at his black tee shirt. "Huh? I guess I am."

"It matches your eyes."

Sirius smiled. His smile made Ginny wish she didn't exist. At least then she wouldn't have to fight the sudden speeding of her pulse and the flush of crimson creeping up her neck. Life in her past had been so much simpler. Harry had been her crush, but he certainly never had this affect on her.

"I thought you were going to say it matches my soul," said Sirius.

"You have a great soul, Sirius Black," Ginny said. "It's your personality I don't trust."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning . . ." She bit her lip. "Meaning I'm going to open my letter now." She broke the seal, and pulled the card from inside. In plain script, it said:

_Miss Ginerva Molly Weasley will hereby attend the Masquerade Ball with Mr. Sirius Black._

Sirius shrugged. "I guess it's just your luck. Maybe your destiny." He pulled a bunch of roses from thin air and handed it to her.

She took the flowers, giving a disdainful sniff. Surprisingly they smelled like roses, their fragrance perfuming the air. Magically conjured roses had no scent. "They're real?"

"I'm not giving fake roses to my date," he said. He handed her a small black box. "I'll pick you up at eight, okay?" He stood up before she could respond, and walked away.

Ginny picked up the box. It was velvet, with a silver button to open it. She pushed at the button, and it unsealed. Inside was a thin gold chain with a glittering phoenix charm. It didn't look terribly expensive, but it was clearly finely crafted and more than a cheap bauble.

She lifted it, and after a second of hesitation, slipped it on. It felt warm against her skin, and she could almost smell Sirius's scent clinging to the metal. That was probably part of the magic woven into the metal. It would remind her of the person who gave it to her as long as she was wearing it. Ginny almost took it off, but she couldn't quite bring herself to reject the gift.


	10. Hide and Seek

**Chapter Ten: Hide-and-Seek**

The Great Hall had been decorated in typical Hogwarts style. The enchanted ceiling reflected the starry night sky, complete with a nearly full moon that cast a silvery glow over the room. Silver candles floated through the air, casting a flickering warm glow. The dance floor glittered as if studded with precious jewels. A classical band played from a raised dais. Apparently ballroom dancing had been planned instead of the mash-pit music from the Weird Sisters that had been played at the Yule Ball.

Ginny spent the afternoon transfiguring a set of quidditch robes into a dress. It was hard work, and a couple of times, she'd almost given up and settled on the old pink and white dress she'd worn to the Yule Ball. But this was probably going to be her one and only night with Sirius Black, and she didn't want to look like a twelve-year-old fairy princess.

In the end her transfiguration left her with a floor length red silk dress. It had no sleeves thanks to a frustrated sheering charm, and the back was a crisscross of thin straps that she'd laced with gold thread. The entire dress shimmered in the candlelight. She wore the phoenix charm and a red mask that covered half of her face. Lily had helped with her makeup, so her lips were a thrilling red, and her eyes were ringed with gold eyeshadow. She'd performed an enhancing charm on her eyelashes to make them lush and long.

She waited in the Gryffindor Common Room. Sirius had promised to meet her. But eight came and went without any sign. She was alone. After nine, she pulled out the Marauders Map and checked the castle to see where he was.

Dancing. With some Hufflepuff girl from Divination. The girl was tall and blond, and when she laughed it sounded like bells. Apparently he'd ditched her. She wiped the map and sank deeper into the plush armchair by the fire. He'd rigged it to get her just so he could leave her.

She trudged up the steps to his dorm room, her heels making low clicks against the stone. Inside looked as if a tornado had touched down. There were clothes everywhere – the bed, the floor, the trunks, the closet, and even going around on the ceiling fan. Ginny silently folded all the garments, putting them back in their proper place. The unmade beds were next, and she even tucked the corners in before leaving just a single corner pulled back. After the room was cleaned, she checked the Map again. Sirius was still dancing with the Hufflepuff.

Ginny sat down at his desk, pulling a roll of his parchment out. Using one of James's quills, she jotted a message down for him.

_I know this must have been good fun for you. We've been going at it pretty hard since the start of the term. And I'll bet you had a good laugh standing me up, and that you're anticipating a thwarting my attempts at revenge. I'm not interested in revenge though. I really liked you, and was looking forward to tonight. I still think that you're a good man at heart, and that you'll make an excellent wizard someday. But I now realize what I've always known. You're not the type of guy a girl can hope to settle with. You're too wild. I just want you to know that I'll never be your enemy, and will always support you. But whatever flights of fantasy I've had about you were clearly misplaced. I suppose it won't be the first time that I misjudge the ability of a man to love me and it certainly won't be the last. I wish you well._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Ginny_

She sealed the letter in an envelope, writing Sirius's name on the front. On his pillow, beside the letter, she left her gift for him. It was a black case, roughly the size of a muggle wallet. Inside were approximately sixty small vials, containing an assortment of the most useful potions she'd ever brewed. Antidotes to poisons, sleeping draughts, invisibility potions, and more. It was the most valuable thing she had. Before dressing for the party, she'd spelled the case to Sirius Black, so that it would remain on his person, undetected by all but the most heinous of Dark Magic. That was something Neville and the DA had come up with while Snape lorded over the school with the help of Dark Wizards.

She left the Map in James's hamper. With any luck, he'd get blamed for losing it there.

For a while she debated going to the party, but that was just too damn depressing, and she was sure she'd go for revenge even though she didn't want it.

Instead she went to her room and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, she could hear Lily and Tonks gossiping about the party. Lily thought it was brilliant how Ginny had skipped out of the party by rigging it so she didn't get a date. Ginny let her believe that.

"The dancing was wonderful," Tonks breathed. "Remus was the perfect gentleman. He didn't even complain when I accidentally stepped on his feet several times."

"Well, Bill was extremely handsome," Lily said. "And I kissed him at midnight – sorry Ginny, you probably didn't want to hear that. He's got a wonderful mouth. He got all embarrassed and –"

"'Scuse me," said Ginny, heading for the door. "Going to throw up now." She reached the Gryffindor Common Room, then remembered she was still wearing her transfigured quidditch robes. With a wave of her wand, she conjured a set of black robes to cover it up.

As soon as she stepped in the room, Sirius popped off the couch and started toward her. He was holding the potion kit, still dressed in his dress robes from the night before. They reminded her of a muggle tuxedo, complete with black bow tie. There was pink lipstick on his collar. She backpedaled up the steps and into her room.

Tonks was relaying her own magical kiss with Remus. Ginny threw open the window, peering out. She didn't want to hear about the party, but leaving the conventional way was clearly out of the picture. She swung her leg out the window.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"Adventuring?"

"Where are we going?" Tonks asked, coming over to the window. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"For me? Yes. For you? I'm not so sure. You're a bit clumsy, Tonks . . ."

"I reckon I could manage."

"Me too," Lily said. "Let me put on shorts though." Ten seconds later, Ginny was trying to dissuade the two from accompanying her out the window. She wasn't having much success until a loud wailing filled the girls' dormitories.

"Boys!" Lily shrieked. "Boys are trying to get here." She ran into the hallway with Tonks and pretty much every other girl in the dorms. The alarm rang again, as whoever the boy was attempted to ascend the steps again.

Ginny let her roommates go out, and then went out the window. She sealed it with a spell to prevent them from following, and headed away from Gryffindor Tower. She'd climbed the roof at Hogwarts before. Some places were impossible to stay balanced on, but there were a couple of places where you could sit and stare at the lake without anyone inside the castle being able to see you either from inside or from the ground.

She stayed on the roof most of the morning and into the afternoon. Around lunchtime, she heard a window being pried open below her. "Ouch, stupid splinter," she heard a familiar voice say.

"Shut up, Peter," Sirius hissed, his voice carrying. "She'll hear you."

"Sorry," Pettigrew whined. "I got a splinter –"

"I'll get it out," James said. "You just go talk to her, Padfoot."

Ginny stood up, and hurried across the roof in the opposite direction. There was a chimney that led to the kitchens. And she knew just the spell to make herself slip through like Santa.

"Ginny, wait!" Sirius hollered. She dropped down the chute, confident it would take him at least a few seconds to figure out how to follow. In the kitchens, she dusted the soot off and grabbed a bit to eat from the lunch plates that the house-elves were getting ready to send up. How had Sirius found her on the roof?

No matter, she'd go where he would never look for her. The library. It was Sunday, and the library was all but deserted. She slipped quietly past Madam Pince, and retreated to the far reaches of the library. Literally the far-reaches. There was a moving ladder by the History section that, when placed in the right spot, led to a secret study room. She placed the ladder, and retreated to it.

This was her place back when she'd first come to school. She'd sit in the window seat, reading muggle romance novels and brewing all kinds of experimental potions. Then, during her Sixth Year, she'd used the place to study free from the prying eyes of the Carrows. Those two dunderheads had probably never even set foot in the library.

Plopping herself in the window seat, she fingered the necklace Sirius had gave her. She could smell him, and it was infuriating her. And she swore that she could hear the sound of his feet and the rise and fall of his voice.

Around three o'clock, the sound of his voice became real. "It says she's right here," he said. "Is she invisible or something?"

"No," James said. He cast an enchantment, sweeping the area. "I think she's in a hidden space or something. We must have missed it before."

"Do you think she can hear us?"

"Probably," Remus said. "I think she's moving."

Ginny froze. She wasn't making any noise, so how did they know she was moving? The answer was right on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't wait for it to be fully realized. Instead she lit the fireplace, and grabbed a pinch of floo powder from a small dish over the mantle.

There were several fireplaces at Hogwarts that were hooked into the floo network. Most of them didn't work very well for unexpected entrances because they were in the open. But Ginny figured that there were two in particular that were safe at this time of day. The one in Dumbledore's Office, and the one in Professor Snape's dungeon bedrooms. Since he wasn't a professor anymore, the one in his bedrooms was probably deserted.

She threw the floo powder into the flames.

"The ladder," Remus said. "I'll bet it goes up."

"Of course it goes up," James said. And then, "Oh, to the secret room! Of course."

The flames tickled her when she stepped into them. "Severus's dungeon bedroom of loathing and self-hatred," she said clearly. Immediately she began to spin around and around. She could see flashed from other fireplaces. Then she was in Snape's personal chambers.

She wasn't alone.

Severus Snape was at a low, dark desk, leaning so close to his parchment that the tip of his hook nose nearly smeared the ink. He jerked up when the flames roared to life. "How did you get in here?"

"Better question," Ginny said. "What are you doing in here?"

He glanced around, eyes lingering on an unmade bed. "These are my rooms," he said stiffly. "I live here."

"Oh."

"What are you doing here?"

She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Avoiding Sirius Black . . ."

He looked sympathetic. "Well, Miss Weasley - Ginny – I know how difficult that can be." He stood up, shuffling his papers into a neat pile before making his way toward the unmade bed. "I'll just . . . ah . . . clean it up a bit."

"S'okay," Ginny said. "I'm not going to stay. I appreciate the offer though."

Severus nodded as if he'd expected the response. Before she reached the door though, he spoke, voice as smooth as oil. "I expect that Black stood you up last night."

"He did." Her voice was small, and surprisingly hurt.

"So why wear his necklace?"

"I can't explain it Severus –"

"Can you explain to me why Lily Evans . . ."

Ginny stopped her retreat and came over to him. "I can't. It might be that some things just aren't meant to be." She stared into his black eyes, remembering all the times he'd insulted her potions, batted down her spells, and all around mocked her. He was her enemy, her teacher, and a great wizard in the past. Now he was just a jilted young wizard who'd finally gotten clean.

"Don't you dare pity me," he whispered. "Don't you dare."

"I've got to go."

"Then go," he said. "I'm not stopping you."

In the hall, she heard Pettigrew's voice. Then James telling him to shut the hell up before he gave away their approach. She headed in the opposite direction, and would have walked right into Sirius's arms if she hadn't caught just a glimmer of his shoe as James's invisibility cloak shifted. She turned and bolted the other way, shoving James into Pettigrew on the stairs.

After three more close encounters in spite of her best hiding places, Ginny realized that she'd left the map in their possession. Of course they were tracking her. It was so easy for them. Unless she went someplace where the map couldn't track her, she was going to be stuck seeing what they wanted eventually.

So she headed into the Forbidden Forrest as the sun set over the tree line. No way were they following her in there.

**Author's Note:** Sorry to everyone who was hoping for a nice, happy dance with Sirius and Ginny. But you know what they say, you don't know what you have until its gone. Thanks so much for all the reviews and follows and faves. I hope that I can write up to your expectations.


	11. The Forbidden Forrest

**Author's Note:** This chapter has a 'surprise' guest from the Lord of the Rings.

**Chapter Eleven: The Forbidden Forest**

The Forbidden Forest was forbidden for a reason. The trees started out innocently enough, lining the path like silent sentinels. But after a few minutes walk, they thickened, the bark getting rougher, roots and low hanging branches sticking out like claws in the darkness. Ginny had been in the forest several times in the past, and each time, the trees seemed to be in slightly different spots. Some said that the trees could move and think, but that was ridiculous. More likely, the magical creatures lurking in the forest were responsible for shifts in the landscape.

And there were quite a few magical creatures – most of them dangerous. In her First Year, Harry and Ron had discovered a nest of foul, horse-sized man-eating spiders in the deeper, darker parts. But there were also red caps lurking in the swampier parts. And will-o-whisps flickering off the path. Once, Ginny had even run into a banshee with a ghost white face. And a zombie soldier who rose from the ground and tripped after her, moaning with its arms outstretched. There were specter's too – who would take the form of lost loved ones and lead the unwary to harm. There were good things in the forest too – centaurs for one. And unicorns with silvery tails and pearlescent horns growing from their foreheads.

Ginny originally just planned to linger in the safer part, and wait until she felt at ease. Then she'd return to the castle, ready to confront Sirius Black and the Marauders. Then she remembered the diadem. Supposedly it was in the forest, hidden.

She pulled her wand and started forward confidentially. She'd been in and out of the forest since her second year. And if things got too dicey, she could always Apparate away. That was one spell she was grateful to have mastered quickly. Even better was the fact that she could Stutter-spell at the same time. The stutter-spell was something Luna had come up with. It was a flicker of magic to raise a magical barrier. But once it was raised, she was able to blank it out for the split second necessary for her to slip through unstopped. And although a normal witch and wizard couldn't apparate or disapparate into Hogwarts, she was proud to say that – in a pinch – she could.

Near midnight, she'd reached the grotto where the diadem was supposedly hidden. It was further in the forest than she'd expected, and the trees looked older and more ominous than any she'd seen before. She kept hearing creaks and groans too – as if the trees were moving ever so slowly.

The tip of her wand glowed with faint blue light, and she cast the light before her. The ground was covered in grass with white wildflowers stretching their faces toward the heavens. She looked up, spotting the low, silver orb of the moon filling the night sky. "Moonflowers," she murmured, surprised to see them growing.

Moonflowers were an exceptionally rare potions ingredient. They only grew in the most peaceful places of the world, and – typically – once a patch was discovered, they were quickly harvested. Because where magical folks went, moonflowers died.

She knelt, brushing her hand across the flowers. If she plucked one she'd probably be able to get enough money to buy her mum a new house and her dad a new car. And still have a fortune left over. But all the rest of the flowers . . . they'd die.

"Can't do it," she murmured. She picked her way across the grotto. There was a large rock in the center, and she climbed onto it, sitting silently and starting at the moonflowers. They glittered white against the darkened green of the grass, swaying ever so slightly in the midnight breeze.

For a while she just watched them, trying to mentally center herself. She knew she wasn't at peace – hadn't been at peace since she'd gotten thrust into the past or whatever. And in the morning, when she was back at school, she'd still not be at peace. But if she could just center herself for a second . . .

In the distance, she heard the sound of a soft male voice speaking in a genteel language. The words, although she could barely hear them and couldn't understand them, seemed magical. Telling herself it was probably a trap – something beautiful sounding to lure the unsuspected to some painful end – she followed the sound, creeping as quiet as a field mouse evading a hawk.

There was a flicker of fire ahead. Ginny picked up the pace, hand on her wand, ready to fight whatever monster was making such a lovely sound. But as she emerged from between two large oak trees, she came to a sudden stop.

Someone had built a city in the forest. Once it had probably been breathtaking. The stones were bleach white, with sloping lines, and intricate patterns carved into the stone. There were many windows – none with glass. And large, majestic looking door with golden words in ancient languages etched into the crumbling stone.

"Ruins . . ." she whispered, coming forward slowly. The forest was overcoming the city. Trees erupted from the walkways, the roots dislodging stone. Mosses in greens and blues and silvers crept across the surface of tastefully placed benches. Vines crept up the walls.

The voice came from inside, low and melodious.

Ginny took a single step closer, telling herself that she'd leave and come back with Bill. He'd been a cursebreaker since graduation, and although he'd taught her a bit, she was an amateur. Her foot landed on a dry twig, which snapped like a muggle gunshot.

The voice stopped speaking, and she saw a figure appear on a crumbling balcony. It was a man, dressed in soft greens and earthly browns. He had long blond hair, half of it pulled away from his face. He looked handsome in a surreal way. As if he were too beautiful and perfect to be real. There were no blemishes or scars or wrinkles on his face. He had piercing blue eyes, which met hers and held her gaze.

For a second, Ginny couldn't breathe. A wash of cold set into her skin, sinking to the bone. The sound of a snake hissing filled her ears, and a green mist obscured her visions.

_ She lifted her hand, wand held confidentially. Only it wasn't her hand or her wand. It was a man's hand, holding a wand that was uncomfortably familiar. _

_ "Are you the Heir of Slytherian?" the man on the balcony inquired. "Come for the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw?"_

_ "I am," said Ginny. Only it wasn't her voice, it was a man's voice, brittle and raspy from the use of Dark Magic. _

_ The man on the balcony drew a bow from somewhere, casually fitting an arrow. "I have seen a great darkness overcome this world. A darkness that has not been known since the days of Old, when an unspeakable Evil rose from beyond the Black Gate, and spread like a cancerous root to contaminate the free world. Mordor. And the necromancer, Sauron."_

_ Ginny howled with derisive laughter. "You mean to stop me with that? I am a wizard."_

_ "You're no such thing," the man said. He spat a dark word from his perfect lips, the sound burning at Ginny's ears like a curse, a blight, a stain. Only, she didn't flinch as she wanted to, she laughed, her voice high and cold. The man loosed his arrow._

_ It struck her wand hand and she shrieked in pain. There was something on the arrow – something that burned her flesh. She dropped her wand to the ground, wailing for mercy. She fell to her knees, bowing her head._

_ The man paused._

_ Ginny's fingers, which weren't her fingers, curled around her wand. Hatred bubbled inside her. _How dare he? He should bow before wizards like a good magical creature. Wizards were superior and once she, Lord Voldemort, rose properly to power, the rest of the world would tremble before its rightful owners: pureblood wizards. _She stood up, wand brandished. "Aveda Kedeva!" she shrieked, throwing the curse at the fool, magical creature._

_ The man – no, creature, his ears were pointed – loosed another arrow simultaneous with her curse. It found its mark, piercing her chest and sending her flying backwards. But her curse found its mark as well. He fell backward, eyes open and unseeing. And a piece of her soul wretched its way free, latching onto the first holocrux: the diadem that the elf held in one elegant hand._

With a start, Ginny was back in her own body, falling backward from an arrow the elf hadn't loosed yet. She landed on her butt and scuttled back like a crab.

"Are you the heir of Slytherian?" the elf inquired. "Come for the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw?"

"N-no," she stammered. "And yes."

The elf drew his bow, casually fitting an arrow. "I have seen a great darkness overcome this world. A darkness that has not been known since the days of Old, when an unspeakable Evil rose from beyond the Black Gate, and spread like a cancerous root to contaminate the free world. Mordor, and the necromancer, Sauron."

"I-I've seen it too," Ginny squeaked. "Please, I'm not with Voldemort. I want to stop him."

"Voldemort?" the elf asked. "Is that what Slytherian's heir will call himself?"

"He might be using the name already," said Ginny. She held up her wand. "I'm a witch, see."

His lips curved into a half smile. "You are not. You are not man nor elf nor dwarf. Nor are you wizard or necromancer. Or goblin or orc. Or hobbit," he added, almost absently. "You are a _raksas_." He infused the word with all the darkness from before, and the sound burned at her again, a blight against her hearing.

"Am not," she said hotly. "On the principal of the matter. Whatever that is sounds terrible and loathsome. Evil. And I know what I am, and I'm not loathsome and evil."

"After the One Ring was destroyed, an age of peace descended upon Middle Earth. Gondor rose, strong in the West, allied with the horseman of Rohan," the elf said. "And for years there was peace. Then the _raksas_ were created by mingling the blood of wizards and humans . . . and orcs of the lowest, filthiest caste."

"And?"

He arched a brow at her. "And? The race of so-called purebloods was born. The great wizarding families descend directly from the first."

"Are you saying that I have some sort of goblin blood in me?" Ginny asked. "Because that's messed up."

He released an arrow. Ginny transfigured it into a daisy chain. "That's rude." She stood up, making a show of putting her wand away. "I'm only here because I want to stop Voldemort. Well, actually, I'm here because I heard you . . . talking?"

He lowered his bow. "Talking?"

"I heard your voice," she said, blushing. "It sounded so beautiful. That I got distracted. I was looking for the diadem."

"I was reciting poetry," he said, "Of the old days, when the races of Middle Earth lived in harmony. Before the elves departed for the Undying Lands. Before . . ."

"Before is a weird time," Ginny said. "Have you grown up hearing the stories?"

"I am an elf," he said. "My grace allows me to live without the touch of time."

"I-I'm sorry," Ginny said.

His expression became as clear as water, his emotions unreadable. "You're the first _raksas_ I've seen who appears like a Man."

Ginny bristled. "I'm not a man, I'm a girl. Female. And I'm a witch."

"Not a man," he said. "Of the race of Men."

"Oh, you mean human," Ginny said. "Well, in that case, I don't appear like a 'Man' . . . I am one. I'm human just as much as the muggles are."

"Muggle?"

"Non-magic people," she said. "I'm a witch because I can do magic. And my mum and dad can too. And my brothers." She hesitated, for a second, and then silently drew her wand and Apparated onto the balcony with him. It groaned under her weight, but as soon as she was beside him, she offered him her wand. "Look, my name is Ginny Weasley – Ginerva Molly Weasley, actually – and I don't want to be your enemy. I get the feeling we're really on the same side."

He reacted to her sudden teleportation by drawing twin, curved knives from somewhere and swinging them toward her. As she spoke, his swing lost momentum, and he put the blades back. "You smell . . . like a woman and a wizard."

"Witch," Ginny corrected. "And thanks, I think. You smell like spring."

"I am Legolas Greenleaf," he said. "The last of the race of Elves. I have stayed in this world, watching the twilight descend into darkness."

Ginny stuck her hand towards him. "Interesting way of putting it. It's nice to meet you." She decided not to mention that he couldn't exactly be the last elf because Hogwarts had hundreds of house-elves working there. She figured he wouldn't appreciate being compared to Dobby and Winky.

He took her hand, brushing his lips against her knuckles. "And so it is nice to meet you as well after all."

That seemed to break the ice. He took her inside. There was a statute of a beautiful woman with a sad face. Adorning the statute was the silver diadem. Legolas watched Ginny as she approached the statute. "The woman's name was Eowyn. I think . . . that maybe she might have liked you _raksas_." He motioned for her to sit on a stone bench.

Sitting, Ginny cleared her throat. "I had a . . . vision when I arrived."

"Oh?"

"I . . ." She chewed on her bottom lip. She'd promised Bill and MacNair that she wouldn't mention the time-shift. Both of the older wizards had agreed that it was for the best.

"You want it?" Legolas suggested. "The diadem?"

"I want to destroy it," said Ginny, blurting the words out. "My vision . . . a real _raksas_ uses it to build power. Power to kill and enslave and live forever. I don't want to give him that chance."

"What would you do to stop it?"

"Destroy the diadem."

"And would you fight me?"

Ginny blinked. "No, don't be stupid. I'm on your side. I want to save your life. If Voldemort comes here, you'll die."

"I have lived for eternity and –"

"And I'm sure you're damn bored of being alive," Ginny interjected. "But that's because you're living in _ruins_. Well, if you can call it living." She stood up, catching his hands in hers. "I tell you what, if you let me destroy the diadem, I'll show you something really . . . wondrous."

"The wonders have long left this world. Darkness –"

"Legolas!"

He grimaced. "Very well, destroy the diadem. I don't care about it. I only seek to stop the darkness. I only know that it will play a role in the future."

"Not anymore," Ginny said. "Its future ends now." She took the diadem outside, and laid it on a stone in the middle of a circle of stone chairs. She drew her wand, and after a moment's hesitation, she blasted the diadem into a trillion pieces. It wasn't infused with Voldemort's soul, so it broke easily.

Legolas picked up a remaining jewel fragment and pressed it into her palm. "Now go. If darkness is –"

Ginny caught his hands in hers again, Disapparating. She wasn't going to leave the silly elf to get murdered by Voldemort. She reapparated in Romania, somewhere between Charlie's old apartment in a quaint old-style village and the dragon preserve where he would one day work.

Legolas gaped like a fish out of water. "What manner of magic –"

"Apparation," she said shortly. "Come on, let's get you settled in." She left the elf with all of her pocket money, and a promise that she wouldn't ever Apparate with him in her clutches again. He seemed a bit miffed by the entire exchange, but she figured that would actually help him. He'd apparently spent the last umpteen years alone, waiting for the Heir of Slytherian to show up so they could fight. It would do him good to spend some time in the real world.

She was heading back to the edge of town – looking for a quiet place to Apparate back to the Forbidden Forest when she saw the blonde woman. She was walking with an older gentleman with a shock of black hair shot through with grey at the temples. He had blue eyes, and a well-groomed beard. He wore a uniform almost identical to Charlie's mystery girl.

Charlie's relationship was destined to end in tears. And she'd gotten the impression that he'd never see the girl again, so it couldn't possibly hurt if she approached. And it wasn't like she didn't have time. It was the weekend. And she'd just destroyed a holocrux and saved the life Riddle would have sacrificed.

She ran up to the woman, catching her hand. "Excuse me –"

The woman turned quickly, the man at her side turning even faster. He pulled a firewand out, aiming it at her without alerting anyone else on the street that things were about to go down. Ginny had already dropped the woman's hand. She looked exactly like the girl in Charlie's picture would look in fifty years. Soft lines around her mouth and eyes, the fire of youth matured into the fire of age in her blue eyes. Her blond hair was starting to show signs of silver.

"You must be her mother," she said without thinking. "My brother, Charlie Weasley, he's dating your daughter. Or they were dating. I'm not quite sure. When I talked to him it sounded like they might have broken up or something –"

The man frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"There's this girl," Ginny said. She locked eyes with the older woman. "She's my brother's sweetheart. She looks just like you. When I talked to Charlie, he said that she was the only one."

"Charlie Weasley?" the man asked.

"You know him, Tir?" the woman asked.

"He worked at the farm the last couple of summers," he answered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You say you're his sister, eh?"

"Ginny – Ginerva Weasely," she said. "You're her parents, aren't you? I know you are, because you look just like her and she stands just like you," she added to the man. "And she had a uniform on in the picture, same as yours only with less ornaments." She looked at him, expecting that, at the very least, he'd say who his daughter was. When he didn't, she kept going. "If you're the mu – farmer who hired Charlie, than that means you're Mr. Fel, right? Charlie never talks about your daughter – I think he was trying to keep it a secret from our mum. She tends to flip out and stuff. But he – Charlie that is – really loves your daughter. He said she was gone, and I just . . ." She took a deep breath, then plunged forward. "I love my brother, and I want to be there for him. But I have to know where she went. The way he talked about it, he didn't seem like he ever expected to see her alive again. So is she . . . . you know, dead?"

Mr. Fel rocked back on his heels. "No. She's alive. She didn't tell me about dating your brother either. And I'm afraid that what you're telling me is impossible. My daughter doesn't feel emotions the same way that normal people do –"

"I could prove it," Ginny interrupted. "If I can show you bona fide proof of their relationship, will you just tell me if she's alive or if she'll be back in the area anytime soon? Charlie really misses her."

"I'll take you up on that," Mrs. Fel said.

Ginny promptly stuck her hand in her pocket and retrieved a copy of Charlie's photo. She'd copied it while Charlie was in the shower and kept it just in case she ever managed to have the spare time to remedy his loneliness.

"That's Cherith," Mrs. Fel said, looking surprised. "Tir, that's my daughter . . ."

"So it is," he mused. He handed the photo back to Ginny. "Never show anyone that picture again," he said. "Burn it. Forget about my daughter. If you want to help your brother, you'll convince him that she was a figment of his imagination." He turned, taking his wife's hand and steering her away.

Ginny seethed. "I won't!" she hollered after them, but they just kept going. "Hey! You promised to tell me if she was alive or coming back! Come back!" The couple just kept going, and if anything, their pace picked up and they vanished around a corner. Ginny hoped that this didn't end up getting back to Charlie in a negative way, but more than that, she hoped that she just hadn't tipped the parents off into keep-daughter-from-Charlie-mode. She was still worried and angry when she apparated back to the Forbidden Forest.


	12. Screwed

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay in putting this chapter up. Real life got a bit distracting. I'll try and be better. Also, thanks to everyone reading and reviewing

**Chapter Twelve: Screwed **

Ginny had forgotten about Sirius and James. The Forbidden Forest had been the perfect distraction. So when she raced across the lawn, mind zipping between the holocrux problem and the Charlie problem, she didn't even think that there might be someone waiting in the Gryfindor Common Room. "Teardrops," she said to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung forward, and she climbed into the room, heading straight to the boys' dormitories to wake Bill for a conference.

The fire was almost burned out completely. From a plush couch by the fireplace, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a figure stand. She stopped her trek, turning, wand raised. More figures were moving in the semi-darkness, circling to the stairs leading to the boys and girls rooms. And a fourth stepped in front of the door she'd just come through.

"Ginny, we need to talk," Sirius said.

She blinked. "Sirius?"

He waved his wand, feeding the fire so it blazed bright enough for her to see his face. It was shadowed and tired looking, but still with a vibrancy that he'd never had in her past. "I wanted to . . . talk about what happened at the masquerade. I –" His voice hitched, and he exhaled nosily.

Ginny started shaking her head, stepping away from him.

He growled in vexation, stepping closer to her, catching her arms at the elbows. "Ginny, will you just listen to –"

She stopped trying to get away. Now that he was right here, invading her space, his scent clinging to her skin, she remembered all her frustrations. Remembered the hurt when he didn't come to pick her up. Remembered why she'd fled to the forest in the first place. She sighed softly. "Okay, I guess we should just get it out then." She stepped into him, wrapping one arm around his waist and leading him to the couch. She plopped herself down, demurely crossing her ankles. "You want to start or should I?"

He sat on the coffee table, nudging aside someone's forgotten homework. "What I did –"

"Let's start with what you did," she said. "You gave me a fake date card. You had a two issued to yourself. One you intended to go on and one you thought it would be good fun to stand up."

He flushed, not meeting her eyes.

"Then you got back and found . . . that stupid letter I wrote and gave you my gift." She fingered the phoenix charm lightly. "And you felt guilty. So you spent all day stalking me to apologize."

"Yeah, well . . ."

She shrugged. "Well, then, apologize if you want, Sirius. I'll forgive you if you do." She wasn't sure if she'd actually forgive him. The wound still hurt a lot. But it wouldn't hurt her to let him think she was the better person for forgiving and forgetting. Except it was hurting so damn bad.

"Look, Ginny." He dragged his hands across his face. "I'm . . . I thought . . . I just –"

She abruptly moved forward, using her hands to lift his face so he was staring into her light brown eyes. His eyes were fathomless, full of confusion, guilt. "Oh, Sirius, you're not a bad guy." She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. "It's okay. I know you. I know what you are." She kissed him lightly again. "It hurts me . . . but mine won't be the only heart you break." Again she kissed him. "There's someone out there for you though. And if I have anything to do with it, you're gonna get to meet her. Voldemort be damned."

His face was heartbreaking to her. His mouth was slightly open, handsome features thrown into shadows. "What are you saying?"

She straightened up, letting her hands fall to her sides. "You're a player, Sirius Black. But that doesn't make you evil or bad or a dirtbag. At least not in my eyes. What it does make you is the wrong guy for me. I have other . . . Well, I'll find the right guy eventually just like you'll find the right girl."

She turned, and as she turned, he caught her hand. His fingers were cool against her skin. "What if you're her? What if you're the girl I'm supposed to be with? My soulmate or whatever."

Ginny smiled. Even to herself, she knew it was a sad smile. "I know I'm not your soulmate. I'm after your time."

"After my time?" he echoed as she pulled her hand from his slack grasp. "What is that supposed to mean?

"Forget I said it." She reached the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Peter Pettigrew trembled like a rat at her approach. She wondered what she looked like to him. Wondered if he somehow knew, without conscious memory that when he was Percy's rat, she had sat on him, poked him with a stick, and thrown a tea party with him and a bunch of captured garden gnomes. She wondered if when he looked at her he saw Lily Potter, betrayed, dead in her son's nursery. "Move," she ordered, eyes narrowed.

The round, blond boy scuttled out of her path. She ascended the stairs unopposed. Although, after a second, she heard James and Sirius protesting and following. She looked back. Sirius still looked wounded. That wouldn't do at all. Maybe leaving him alone wasn't the right approach. Maybe making him mad was the better approach. Tormenting him with thoughtless pranks and girlish mischief.

But that was a decision for another day. She opened the door to Bill's room and stepped in. Unlike Prefects and Headboy in her timeline, this timeline insisted that those who earned special positions got special privileges. In Bill's case being prefect meant he got his own room. She closed the door, locking the Marauders out.

Bill rolled to a sitting position, wand at the ready. He silently cast a hex at her – one Ginny didn't even see coming until her feet were stuck fast to the floor. He stepped out of bed, turning the lights on, arms crossed across his bare chest.

"Hi," Ginny said, face red. "You want to put a shirt on?"

Bill opened his mouth, then wordlessly shook his head. When he turned his back to her the spell on her feet broke. He pulled on a loose white cotton shirt that looked like it was made for the desert. "Well, little sister, I suppose this is important?"

James and Sirius knocked on the door. "Hey, Ginny –" Sirius hollered.

Bill opened the door, glaring at the now-younger man. "Leave her alone, Black. And get your ass in bed. Same to you Potter." He started to close the door and then paused. "That goes for Lupin and Pettigrew as well."

Ginny caught sight of James's outraged face. Then Bill closed the door. "So let's hear it," he said, casually casting a spell to prevent anyone eavesdropping at the keyhole.

"I found the diadem," she said softly. "It was in some ancient ruins in the Forbidden Forest. There was an elf there named Legolas. Only he wasn't a house elf; he was a –"

"You met one of the true elves?" Bill interrupted. "From legend? Back when weird magical races like hobbits inhabited the Shire."

"Huh?"

"Clearly you didn't pay much attention in Ancient Runes."

"I pay attention."

Bill arched an eyebrow, arms crossed.

She squirmed. "Anyway, my study habits aren't important. What I found out is." She told him about the vision she'd had just before she met Legolas. She told him about everything except meeting Charlie's secret girlfriend's ornery parents. Well she was done, she stared expectantly at her brother. If someone was going to figure out what to do next, it would be him.

Bill was silent. He gathered a host of scrolls from the bottom of his top desk drawer and started pouring over them.

"Can I help?"

Bill nodded absently. "It's an echo. You get them on occasion with witches who really screw up Time-Tuner use."

"How so?"

He reached into his bookshelf, pulling a soft leather bound book and skimming through it. After a second he tossed it aside and drew another, flipping through it.

"Bill?"

He didn't respond. Just checked several more books out. Then, abruptly he was back at his desk. He slammed the book on the table, flipping vigorously through it. "Here," he said without warning, his voice making Ginny jump. She looked at what he was pointing at.

"What is it?"

"Do you know the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?"

"No. Is it from History of Magic?"

"No. It's a muggle legend of a king of all the Britons. King Arthur lived in Camelot. Rumors said that his advisor, Merlin, was a great wizard."

"Merlin was a great wizard," Ginny said. "There were several of them."

Bill rubbed his eyes. "Little sister . . ."

"What?"

"They're all named after him. The Merlin. King Arthur's Merlin. We don't know if he actually existed. But there are texts that suggest he blended time to save the King's life. This document," he said pointing at a picture of a carefully written letter, "suggests that when he did so, there were flashes of the old past whenever he reached a point where time could be fixed. Where he could prevent what had once happened."

"So what I did – destroying the diadem –"

"Probably set Voldemort back. He'll never become exactly what he was before now. If we can find the others, then he may become something stoppable."

"So how do we make that happen?"

"Well," Bill said, frowning. "I have no clue. We have to find out what he used as holocruxes. But the only one I knew about was the diadem. Harry, Ron, and Hermione probably knew at least some of the others, but they don't remember anything."

"So what do we do now?"

"We keep doing what we're doing now," Bill said. "Everything we can to stop a future that already happened."

"How?"

Bill pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "By being ready for whatever may come. No one anticipated Voldemort last time. Everyone liked him. We have an advantage this time, and we're uniquely positioned to stop him. So we study hard and we keep our ears to the ground. When he makes a move, we'll be there, ready and willing to stand up to his evil and put a stop to it."

Ginny groaned.

"What?"

"I think you just told me to study."

He laughed. "Of course I did. Study and have fun. You have Quidditch tryouts tomorrow, you know."

She blinked. "I forgot about that . . ."

"Charlie hasn't. It's all he can talk about." Bill started rolling up the scrolls he'd unrolled. "I wonder if he'll play for England this time around."

"He won't," Ginny said. The picture in her pocket seemed to burn a hole. Maybe if she couldn't do anything about Voldemort for now . . . maybe she could do something about Charlie's secret girlfriend.

She left Bill's room, lost in thought. She made it all the way to her bedroom door. As she reached for the handle, someone grabbed her by the shoulder, spinning her around and moving closer, one hand slamming silently to the door frame by her head.

She stared into Sirius Black's dark eyes. "I can't risk you being the One and letting you go without a fight," Sirius said, voice raspy and hesitant, as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Ahhhh . . .no," Ginny said. "That's not happening."

"Of course it will," he said. "I'm nothing if not persistent. I'm charming. Irresistible."

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. She turned, reaching for the door handle. "Watch me, I'm resisting."

Sirius stepped closer, so his body was pressed against hers from behind. He leaned down so he was right beside her ear. "Right now you're resisting. That's okay. I like a challenge."

Then he was gone. Her heart was in her throat.

She was, in a word, screwed.


	13. Tryouts

**Chapter Thirteen: Tryouts**

It was a perfect day for Quidditch: blue skies with assorted white clouds blocking excessive sunlight. It was cool, with a pleasant breeze. All in all a perfect day. Ginny found herself wishing that it was storming: thunder, lighting, cold, and extreme wind. At least then there wouldn't have been so many people at the quidditch pitch.

Oliver Wood was every bit the tyrannical slave-driver Fred and George had always complained about. Although she still thought he was cute because of his brown eyes, quick grin, and athletic physique, she found that being summoned to the pitch at the buttcrack of dawn made his appeal somewhat diminished.

Under an old set of robes, she wore tan leggings, knee high leather boots, and a tan tee shirt. Back in the day – her past – that had been standard quidditch gear. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate anymore. Well, that wasn't true. There was a distinct mismatch between the past-people and the present-people – if that distinction even mattered. For example, Sirius was wearing all black under his scarlet robes.

"Alright people, we're doing this in stages," Oliver hollered. "Seeker candidates over there. Chasers there. Beaters there. If anyone is here for Keeper, I suggest you think of another position." A couple of kids groaned, and turned to leave. Everyone else went where directed. Sirius caught Ginny's eye, but stood at the opposite end of the Chaser group. Fred and George were in the Beater group, joking and jostling with the others, who looked queasy.

The Seekers were a startling assortment of kids. Charlie stood to the side, expression wistful. Ginny wondered what he was thinking of. Harry Potter was also in the group: he was smaller and skinnier than the others. He gazed around, his round glasses glinting in the early morning light.

Oliver Wood started the tryout by making everyone fly around the pitch. Those who couldn't get off the ground were ordered off the pitch. Wood looked furious, and shouted that anyone else wasting his time would be bludgeoned by a bludger.

The next sorting exercise involved the chasers. Ginny shot into the air, grateful that her broom – a nice Cleansweep 6 – had decided to travel into the past with her. Wood rose into the air, hoisting a box with red quaffles. The drill was simple again. Pass the quaffle without dropping it. It was simple enough. The person throwing was not allowed to move his or her broom. The person catching was allowed to dive to catch. If you made your partner dive to catch you were out. If you missed the catch you were out. The drill was brutally efficient. Within five minutes, the number of potential chasers dropped from 60 to 25.

Wood ordered the next drill. In groups of three, the candidates had to fly across the pitch passing the ball between them. This time he allowed room for error. While waiting her turn, Ginny watched Wood, who was muttering non-stop and jotting down notes.

He kept mixing them up too. So it was inevitable she'd end up with Sirius at some point. It was the two of them and, surprisingly, her ex-boyfriend: Dean Thomas. Ginny took left wing. Sirius center. Sirius, surprisingly, didn't seem to care she was present. His dark eyes were focused solely on the game, jaw clenched. After the drill, she kept watching him in the others.

He _was_ super-focused. She'd never seen him like that before. And he didn't seem his usual confident self. He did look adorable though. She sighed.

"You're going to distract him if you keep making eyes at him," James said.

She jumped, nearly falling off her broom.

He caught her elbow, restoring her balance for the critical seconds necessary. "Careful. You're doing really good, and I'd hate for you to get tossed off the team just because I startled you. Oliver Wood is ruthless in his zeal to purge potential problems."

"I noticed," Ginny said, latching onto the non-Sirius conversation. "You're on the team, right?"

He shrugged. "I _was_ on the team last year. Wood always has tryouts. I was on my Second Year, but fluffed off in Third Year tryouts and he didn't let me play."

Ginny was silent. Hadn't the Marauders become animagus in their third year?

"Your brothers are quite good," James noted.

Ginny glanced at the pitch. Fred and George were both happily whacking bludgers around the pitch. They were in groups of two – but had been separated. "If Oliver's got any sense at all, he'll play them together," she said. "They're a pair of human bludgers themselves, you know."

"Better together than apart?" James suggested.

"Something like that." She spun her broom so she was facing him. "Okay, I'm pretty sure curiosity is going to kill me someday, but why is Sirius -"

"He just really wants to make the team this year," James said, anticipating her question.

"Why?"

"No reason, really."

Ginny wasn't sure she believed that, but she let it go. Oliver had summoned them back to the pitch to run joint drills with the beaters. "Weasley, Potter, Weasley, Weasley, and Johnson versus Thomas, Black, Peakes, Coote, and Bell," Wood hollered. "First to five goals wins."

"Dammit," James muttered.

"Let's go," Ginny said. "Focus on now. Worry about Sirius later."

Flying with Fred and George as back up was like gravity: normal. And she was super attuned to where James was on the pitch - and Sirius if she stopped to think about it. Those two had been constant dangers in her life since she'd poked them one time too many at the start of term. Johnson was a stranger though. The tall, black girl flew well, but Ginny could tell that the chemistry was off. And she kept accidentally passing the ball to Katie Bell, who would pass it back to Angelina Johnson. Both of them looked frustrated. Ginny supposed it was because of some residual memory of being teammates for four years.

Oliver was not impressed. He wasn't stupid either. "Johnson . . . switch sides with Black."

Ginny felt a stab of concern. The two girls would be good together. Of course, her concern vanished when Sirius looked at her. He looked a little queasy. She angled her broom super-close to him. "Puke if you want, I'm going to sweep the pitch with you," she taunted. "I can pass better, score better, and assist better."

"You're on," he said, a bit of a competitive glint replacing the unease on his expression. From then on out, it was over. They both knew where the other was. And they both knew where James was. Katie and Angelina were excellent together. But Dean Thomas was out of synch.

At the end of three minutes, Wood blew his whistle. He had a delighted, pained look on his face. The emotions warred, but eventually delight won out. "Frank and Joe Weasley . . . you're this year's beaters."

"Oy! It's Fred."

"And George. Unless there are some blokes around here with our last names but similar, but not the same first names."

A vein in Wood's forehead throbbed. "You two are on the team." He looked like he might regret it, but he ruthlessly squashed the thought. They were good – no, excellent – beaters. And he WANTED to win. He pointed at James. "Potter, you're on. Black, you're on." He hesitated, looking at Fred and George. "Jill Weasley . . . you're on too."

"Me?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah . . . what was your name again?"

"Ginny."

"Right, well you're on the team. You guys can take a seat. The rest of you, thanks for trying out." The rest of the players filed off the pitch. Wood rolled his eyes as some of the potential Seekers departed. He didn't call them back though.

Ginny sat in the stands, making sure Fred and George were between her and James and Sirius. They were talking excitedly. Sirius, in particular, looked thrilled. She heard him say something about "him" and "that'd show him."

In the meantime, the Seekers were up. Ginny had played quidditch with Charlie before. In the fields around the burrow. He was okay there, but she'd never really seen his talent. He flew like he was born in the air. He was easily in the same league as Victor Krum. He was easily in the same league as Harry Potter.

Harry was good too. He flew like the broom was an extension of his body. When the knobby kneed eleven year old made a particularly daring dive to catch the snitch, James shut up and watched.

"Is that your baby brother?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," James said, sounding surprised. "The tyke can _fly._"

"Of course he can," Ginny said. "He's an extraordinary wizard."

James blinked. "I guess I never noticed . . ."

Wood noticed. He had a gleeful look on his face and was watching Harry intently.

Then Charlie spotted the snitch. There was a predatory shift in his posture. He dropped like a hawk. Harry spotted the snitch. Harry was closer. He leaned into his broom, urging it faster, hand outstretched.

Charlie's broom dropped so fast, he was almost a blur. His hand closed around the orb, and Harry's smaller hand closed around Charlie's. They both pulled out of the dive in the nick of time, leveling off.

Charlie said something, and Harry nodded. Charlie released the snitch, and they both turned away, flying in opposite directions. Wood blew the whistle. "Potter, Charlie – over here."

He spoke with both of them. Ginny leaned forward. "Who's he picking?"

James was fixated on the conversation, tongue sticking out from between his teeth. "Not sure. Charlie got it, but he's already got three of you on the team, so he might be worried about appearances. Harry – he – Harry did really good there. The kid's a natural flyer. But he lost."

Ginny squealed. "I want them both on. They're so good!"

Sirius reached across Fred and George and took her hand. She clutched it nervously before realizing what she was doing. Instantly she let go, cheeks reddening. His hand had been warm.

Wood motioned for them to go into the locker room. Both Charlie and Harry followed him in.

"What's going on Oliver?" James asked.

Wood gave him a blank look. "I'm scheduling the practices," he said. "So I need your class schedules."

"He meant 'Who's the seeker?'" George clarified.

"What do you mean?"

"Seeker. Who did you pick?" Fred said. "You know."

"Isn't that obvious?" Oliver asked, gesturing to Charlie and Harry. Both were discussing quidditch quietly, but stopped and looked over.

"No . . ." Ginny said.

"Did you see that catch?" Wood demanded.

"Yes . . ." the rest of the team said.

"Well, then, how is it not obvious?"

"Wood, just tell us so that your obvious genius can illuminate our dull and boring lives," George said.

"Both, duh," Wood said. "Now give me your schedules. We'll wait fifteen minutes while I explain our practice strategy. Then we'll practice for two hours to get the team acquainted.

"Both?" Ginny muttered, mostly to herself. "How was _that_ obvious?"

"No freaking idea," Sirius said. James didn't respond. He'd scooped Harry up and gave him a fierce huge. Harry looked surprised, as if he didn't spend much time with his brother.

Ginny looked away. In a different life, Harry had mourned never getting to know James. Now they had the chance. She was glad that Harry was on the team. She was also glad that Charlie was. And Fred and George of course. After they'd ditched school, the quidditch team hadn't been the same. She was less certain about Sirius.


End file.
